Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41807849›Full record

Observational studyActa neurochirurgica2026

Lead times in the early management of traumatic brain injury: relation to geographic conditions and clinical outcomes in a nationwide Swedish registry study.

Amanda Gu, Francisco Leal-Méndez, Anders Lewén, Anders Hånell, Lina Holmberg, Per Enblad, Teodor Svedung-Wettervik, Fredrik Linder

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Acta neurochirurgica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Amanda GuDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. gu.amanda@outlook.com.
Francisco Leal-MéndezDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Anders LewénDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Anders HånellDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Lina HolmbergDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Section of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Per EnbladDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Teodor Svedung-WettervikDepartment of Medical Sciences, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Fredrik LinderDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Section of Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) patients are at risk of sudden deterioration, requiring timely diagnostics and treatment to prevent secondary cerebral injuries. This study investigated lead times in prehospital and early intrahospital TBI management, assessing their association with geographical conditions, hospital caseloads, and patient outcomes.

methodsThis nationwide, observational cohort study included 5036 TBI patients (during 2018-2022) from the Swedish Trauma Registry (SweTrau). Lead times from trauma to alarm, from alarm to hospital arrival, and times to first computed tomography (CT) from alarm and hospital arrival, respectively, were calculated. These were analyzed against the geographical distribution of healthcare, hospital caseloads, and 30-day mortality.

resultsThe majority of the cohort arrived in hospital within one hour and suffered a mild-to-moderate TBI. In univariate analyses, healthcare regions with larger geographical catchment areas exhibited longer time of prehospital management from alarm to arrival in hospital than smaller regions. Meanwhile, in multivariate linear regressions, larger region catchment area was independently associated with longer times from trauma to alarm and from alarm to hospital, but shorter time from alarm to first CT. In similar multivariate analyses, higher caseload was associated with longer time from alarm to first CT. Patients who were initially managed in a local hospital exhibited longer lead times overall, except from time to first CT from arrival in hospital. Furthermore, in the whole cohort, longer time from alarm to first CT and from arrival in hospital to first CT were associated with lower rate of mortality in univariate logistic regressions. However, this did not hold true in multivariate analysis after adjusting for demography and injury severity.

conclusionsLead times in TBI management varied by both geographical and hospital-bound factors. Faster lead times in TBI were associated with higher mortality in univariate analysis, but this association disappeared in multivariate analysis, suggesting that clinical severity rather than time alone is the stronger predictor of outcome. Nonetheless, it remains believed that efficient and qualitative management is a fundamental necessity for better outcomes in TBI management.

Indexed as

Brain Injuries, TraumaticEmergency Medical ServicesTime-to-TreatmentAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRegistriesSwedenTomography, X-Ray ComputedTreatment DelayLead timeOutcomeSwedish trauma registryTrauma logisticsTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID41807849
PMCPMC12979326

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.