Prevalence of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: One of the clinical manifestations and complications of traumatic brain injury patients is traumatic intracranial hemorrhages, divided into primary and secondary hemorrhages. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on all TBI patients with SAH for one year. Data collection tools include a demographic profile form and a researcher-made checklist. The severity of TBI is divided according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. The patient’s history and clinical examinations were considered when admitting to the hospital. The consciousness level was measured at 6-to-24-hour intervals, a computed tomography (CT) scan was performed, and any abnormal SAH-related clinical findings and symptoms were recorded. If the patient had other hemorrhages besides SAH, the hematoma volume was recorded. The collected data were entered into and analyzed by SPSS version 16 software. Results: A total of 534 patients were investigated, of whom 84 (15.3%) had intracranial hemorrhage. Out of 84 patients with intracranial hemorrhage, 12 (2.2%) had SAH, of whom ten were male and 2 were female. Also, SAH occurred to traffic accidents, falls, and other related reasons in 7 (58.3%), 4 (33.3%), and 1 (8.3%) patients, respectively. It was also shown that 1 (8.3%), 2 (16.6%), and 9 (75%) patients with SAH had mild, moderate, and severe consciousness, respectively. Regarding the frequency of SAH-related diseases, it was shown that 2 (16.6%) and 10 (82.3%) patients were diabetic and non-diabetic, 4 (33.3%) and 8(66.6%) patients were hypertensive and non-hypertensive, and 7 (58.3%) and 5 (41.6%) patients were with and without a history of skull fractures, respectively, 12 (100%) of them had a history of coagulation disorders. Conclusions: The prevalence of intracranial hemorrhage and SAH in TBI patients is significantly high, which should be taken into consideration when performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for these patients.