Time from injury to operative intervention in traumatic intracranial hematoma: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

The outcomes in traumatic intracranial hematoma (TICH) have not improved significantly despite advances in trauma care. A modifiable factor in TICH management is time to operation room (TOR). TOR has become a key marker in Traumatic brain injury care despite a lack of contemporary evidence. This study aimed to determine the timing of TICH evacuation and its association with mortality and neurological outcomes. A systematic review of PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Included studies reported data on adult patients with acute TICH who underwent surgical evacuation. The primary outcome was TOR and its association with mortality or functional neurological recovery. From 1838 articles screened, 17 were included. Eight studies reported TOR as a continuous variable, ranging between 3 and 7.1h. Three studies found better outcomes with shorter TOR, five found no difference, and one found worse outcomes with shorter TOR. Five articles were included in meta-analysis of mortality in patients undergoing operative decompression less than or greater than 4h from injury which found lower mortality in the >4-h group, OR=1.53. Longitudinal regression analysis showed no difference in TOR over the 33-year span of articles included. There is limited data available on TOR in TICH, with equivocal results on the effect of timing on outcomes. TOR has not decreased over the last 4decades. The unvalidated 4-h cut-off seems to be associated with better survival. Contemporary assessment of this potentially important performance indicator is required.