Perfusion CT safely diagnoses early brain death in TBI patientsbut may help save others – Health Imaging

Perfusion CT can accurately diagnose brain death in patients with severe traumatic brain injury and potentially save the lives of others in the process.

Thats what researchers reported Jan. 29 in an American Journal of Roentgenology study. They found that perfusion CT performed within the first 48 hours after admission was highly accurate in classifying early in-hospital mortality. Use of the imaging protocol could be beneficial in helping families with their treatment decisions and organ donation options.

Patients' families and physicians rely on prognostic information to decide whether to pursue life support, Jai Jai Shiva Shankar, MD, with Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and colleagues wrote. Prognostic information may affect decisions about organ donation because brain death is the principal criterion. Thus, delays in diagnosing brain death negatively affect the precious opportunity for organ donation, they added.

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Perfusion CT safely diagnoses early brain death in TBI patientsbut may help save others - Health Imaging