Correlation of a Early Plasma D-dimer Level with Severity and Prognosis in Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective To determine the usefulness of D-dimer as early severe and prognostic indicator in patients with traumatic brain injury.Methods Sixty-three consecutive patients with isolated head trauma were included in the study.D-dimer level was measured within hours after acute insult,while the correlations between D-dimer and Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS),distance of midline shift on brain computed tomography(CT),and Glasgow Outcome Score(GOS) were also studied.Results Traumatic brain injury patients had higher early plasma D-dimer levels than controls.The GCS,midline shift on brain CT,and GOS were significantly correlated with D-dimer value in traumatic patients.A high D-dimer level is associated with a severe injury and a poor outcome.Conclusion The measurement of D-dimer in early stage was useful in determining the severity and prognosis of patients with head trauma.