top of page

Clinically Important TBI Definition 

Clinically-important traumatic brain injury in the PECARN minor blunt head trauma study was defined as meeting any of the following: 

  • Neurosurgical intervention for traumatic brain injury including intracranial pressure monitoring, elevation of depressed skull fracture, ventriculostomy placement, intracranial hematoma evacuation, lobectomy, tissue debridement, dura repair, or other neurosurgical procedure

  • ​Intubation of more than 24 hours for traumatic brain injury

  • Hospital admission of 2 nights or more for the traumatic brain injury in association with traumatic brain injury on CT

  • Death from traumatic brain injury

Adapted with permission from Kuppermann, N. 2012, from Identification of children at very low risk of clinically-important brain injuries after head trauma: a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2009;374:1160-70. 

bottom of page