Rajat Verma
Introduction: Neurotrauma from animal interactions, including domestic incidents, is underexplored and inadequately documented. The aim of this study is to explore epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of neurotrauma caused by domestic animals.
Methods: Reviewed data from 23 neurotrauma patients (January 2017-2021) due to domestic animal incidents. Analysed outcomes using Glasgow Outcome Scale and SPSS 28 software.
Results: During the study, 118 out of 7602 neurotrauma patients (1.6%) experienced animal-related trauma, with 95 from animal vehicle collisions/wild animal attacks and 23 from domestic animals (study population). The mean age of study population was 48±17.5 years, with 8.6% paediatric cases and 69.6% males. The majority (86.9%) were rural
residents. On presentation, 60.9% had head injuries, 34.8% had spine injuries, and 4.3% had both. Of head injury cases, 64.3% had severe TBI (GCS < 8). A Rotterdam CT score ≥5 correlated with unfavourable outcomes (p=0.03) and mortality (p=0.05). Surgery (4 cases) significantly improved Rotterdam CT scores (p=0.001). Among CT score ≥5 cases, conservative management led to mortality, while surgery resulted in good outcomes (p=0.001). Most of spine injuries fell into ASIA Grade C.
Discussion: Animal-related trauma incidence varies globally, ranging from 1% to 2.7% in developed nations and around 0.2% in developing nations. Munivenkatappa et al.in 2013, reported an incidence of 0.4% in Bangalore. In our neurotrauma ward, it ranks as the fourth most common cause of inpatient admission. Severe TBI were prevalent within it causing high mortality rate. Rotterdam CT Score proved valuable in assessing the need for surgery, correlating positively with the requirement for intervention. It reliably predicted outcomes in head injury patients and demonstrated excellent predictive ability for mortality.
Conclusion: Distinct consideration for domestic animal-related neurotrauma is crucial. The Rotterdam CT Score proved valuable in assessing the need for surgery, correlating positively with the requirement for intervention.