TBI and Blood Glucose Testing

[medichopeful]

I'm trying to search for good articles or literature on why it's important to check the BGL of a TBI or head injury patient. I did some searching, but couldn't find anything :sad:

I'm pretty sure the answer's in my A&P book, but I'm lending that to somebody right now :glare:

Even so, I'd like a more in-depth explanation. I know from A&P a bit of the physiology behind it, but I'm looking to learn as much as possible.

Can anybody point me in the right direction or provide links?

Thanks!
Eric

 

[Aprz]

Found this, but it didn't really explain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/858637
Then this one wasn't super detailed either, but I guess it got the point across saying that the consumption of glucose by the brain was reduced. http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/1/4.full

Interesting, I never though about this. From the sound of it though, this would probably be a later finding, and probably be associated with AMS too (since you mentioned it in the little girl who bumped her head post).

 

[ArcticKat]

hmmm, might you be thinking of getting BGL from any fluid that might be draining from the ear or nose? I've never tried it, but I've been told that since CSF fluid ihas a high glucose content, a BGL test of any drainage would be considered positive for CSF if the test was high.

 

[mgr22]

Maybe the recommendation is to check BSL of AMS patients with possible head injuries, just to rule out hypoglycemia as the cause of AMS.

 

[fast65]

I would imagine that it has something to do with the fact that the brain uses massive amounts of glucose, so maybe you want to make sure they're not hypoglycemic to prevent further injury? Or, like someone else kind of mentioned, it might be to rule our whether or not their AMS is a result of hypoglycemia or the TBI.

 

[mycrofft]

Alteration of orientation or level of consicousness...

1. Closed head injury: Look for blunt trauma, try for history.
2. Hyper or hypoglycemia: smell breath, test for glucose in blood.
3. Open head injury: try to find if there is CSF in any cranial, aural, nasal or optical (yes, eyes) bleeding.
4. Everything else.