An observational study in Brain Injury, Acute, sponsored by Boston Medical Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.
Sponsored by Boston Medical Center · Observational
Life-threatening mass effect (LTME) arises when brain swelling displaces or compresses crucial midline structures subsequent to acute brain injuries (ABIs) like traumatic brain injury (TBI), ischemic stroke (IS), and intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH), which can manifest rapidly within hours or more gradually over days. Despite advancements in surgical management, significant gaps in understanding persist regarding optimal monitoring and therapeutic approaches. The current standard for identifying LTME involves neurologic decline in conjunction with radiographic evidence or increased intracranial pressure (ICP) indicating space-occupying mass effect. However, in critically ill patients, reliance on subjective physical exam findings, such as decreased arousal, often leads to delayed recognition, occurring only after catastrophic shifts have already occurred.
The goal of this study is to determine the association of non-invasive biomarkers with neurologic deterioration, and to determine whether non-invasive biomarker inclusion improves detection of outcome and decline.
The investigators propose to use various non-invasive methods to monitor ICP as adjuncts in detecting deteriorating mass effect. These methods include quantitative pupillometry, radiographic data, laboratory data, and other bedside diagnostic tests available including electroencephalography (EEG), skull vibrations detected via brain4care device, optic nerve sheath diameter assessment (ONSD), and ultrasound-guided eyeball compression. Some of these methods will be measured *only* for the purposes of the research study (such as skull vibrations via brain4care). Other measurements, such as quantitative pupillometry, will represent additional measurements beyond those already being collected for clinical care. This research study is necessary to understand the association of these non-invasive biomarkers with neurological decline and outcomes while considering potential confounding factors.
Eligible patients will be recruited on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Boston Medica Center followed by the Neurointensive care team.
Exclusion Criteria:
Sub-exclusion criteria for specific non-invasive measurements include:
Eligible patients will be recruited on admission to the ICU followed by the Neurointensive care team. Demographic, invasive ICP monitoring data, clinical, laboratory, diagnostic, treatment (medical and surgical) and outcome data will be collected. Data will be collected from non-invasive devices using either clinical review from the chart, or if not available and/or used for additional measurements, from the device (smartguard for pupillometry, imaging, EEG data, Brain4care data).
Neurologic Deterioration
Neurologic deterioration will be assessed as a dichotomous variable (yes/no) defined as a negative change in any of the following: level of consciousness, agaze, arm motor function, leg motor function, or language. The participants' medical chart will be reviewed for documentation of persistent change.
Time frame: 5 years
Glasgow Coma Scores
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a 15-point scale used to evaluate a person's state of consciousness. A score of 3 is the lowest possible and indicates a deep coma or death, while a score of 15 is the highest and indicates a fully awake person. A lower score generally means a deeper coma.
Time frame: 5 years
Number of participant deaths during hospitalization
This data will be abstracted from medical records..
Time frame: 5 years
Functional outcome at hospital discharge
This will be assessed by Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), a 6 point disability scale with possible scores ranging from 0 to 5, higher scores indicating greater disability and where 0-2 is generally considered a good outcome with individuals assuming complete functional independence. A separate category of 6 is usually added for patients who expire. Data will be abstracted from medical records on review of patient notes and discharge summaries to obtain amRS for each participant.
Time frame: 5 years
Plan to share: No
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