“This is a life-saving tool that the region desperately needed."
Acute head trauma patients often have devastating neurological injuries. Patients in Central South Ontario with acute head trauma are brought to the Hamilton General Hospital (HGH), which serves as the Regional Neurosurgical Centre.
Invasive monitoring of the brain is often required for acute neurological injuries or disorders. One common complication of neurologic injuries is insufficient oxygen supply and/or blood flow to the brain. Until recently, the only parameter surgeons could measure inside the head was pressure on the brain. Once the pressure became high, in most cases, physicians would intervene surgically.
Over the last 10 years, a new method of monitoring the brain has been developed called the Licox brain tissue monitoring system. The system allows surgeons to measure the brain temperature, brain pressure, and oxygen delivery to the brain. This will enable surgeons to intervene quickly and more precisely, limiting the amount of injury a patient’s brain sustains.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, the Foundation was able to purchase this critical piece of patient equipment. “This is a life-saving tool that the region desperately needed. In studies, the utilization of these catheters has shown to decrease death from a severe head injury by 15%, which is remarkable, especially when a majority of head injury occurs in young patients,” says Dr. Sunjay Sharma, Head of Neurosurgery, HGH.
The Licox brain tissue monitoring system will help drive ground-breaking research, benefiting patients by creating new strategies to treat neurologic injuries.
