Re-evaluating albumin use in traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects approximately 69 million people annually, with the majority of cases being mild-to-moderate in severity. However, in severe TBI, early management is critical and includes fluid resuscitation to control intracranial pressure (ICP) and optimize cerebral perfusion p...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Vincent, Jean-Louis|||0000-0001-6011-6951, Ferrer, Ricard|||0000-0002-4859-4747, Taccone, Fabio Silvio, Wiedermann, Christian J., Reinstrup, Peter
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:322304
Acesso em linha:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/322304
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1186/s40560-025-00813-y
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Albumin
Traumatic brain injury
Intracranial pressure
Outcomes
Descrição
Resumo:Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects approximately 69 million people annually, with the majority of cases being mild-to-moderate in severity. However, in severe TBI, early management is critical and includes fluid resuscitation to control intracranial pressure (ICP) and optimize cerebral perfusion pressure. The SAFE-TBI study linked hypotonic 4% albumin to higher mortality versus saline (33.2% vs. 20.4%; RR 1.63; P = 0.003), likely due to elevated ICP, prompting guidelines favoring saline. However, these recommendations are based on low-quality evidence and overlook hyperoncotic albumin. Preclinical data confirm that hypotonicity-not albumin-drives ICP elevation. Emerging data suggest that hyperoncotic albumin (20-25%) may reduce ICP and improve outcomes. This letter highlights evidence gaps and advocates re-evaluating albumin use in TBI, especially hyperoncotic formulations.