External Lumbar Drainage to Abort Severe Traumatic IntraCranial Hypertension: A Phase 1 Randomized, Allocation-concealed, Open-label, Safety and Feasibility Clinical Trial
Brain Trauma Foundation
Summary
The goal of this phase 1 randomized controlled safety and feasibility clinical trial are to determine the safety of external lumbar drainage (ELD) in select patients with severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The main questions it aims to answer are (i) if ELD is feasible and (ii) safe to perform in severe TBI patients who have radiological evidence of patent basal cisterns and midline shift \<5mm without increasing the risk of neurological worsening or cerebral herniation. All participants will receive routine usual care. The study group will additionally have ELD for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. A comparison will be made between the usual treatment plus ELD (interventional) groups, and the usual treatment (control) groups on incidence rate of neurological worsening or cerebral herniation events, and whether total hours with raised intracranial pressure (ICP) are different.
Description
This is a randomized controlled trial to determine the safety and feasibility of external lumbar drainage (ELD) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as an adjunct to existing treatments to lower brain pressure, in select patients suffering severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This trial is funded by the Department of Defense, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM). Following a severe TBI, the brain swells and the pressure in the cranium rises causing further brain injury, The goal of treatment of such patients is to use treatments th…