The AHEAD Study: Monitoring Anticoagulated Patients Who Suffer Head Injury

Existing practice in emergency departments (ED) in the United Kingdom (UK) for managing patients taking warfarin after a blunt head injury is variable with little research that supports the most appropriate way to manage these patients. The investigators aimed to undertake research in order to understand the range and frequency of outcomes following head injury in this group of patients and to develop robust clinical guidance for how they should be optimally managed in the future.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Craniocerebral Trauma; Head Injuries, Closed

Detailed Description

This prospective observational study aims to enrol patients taking warfarin that attend participating ED's (up to 33) in England and Scotland after blunt head injury. Over an 18-month period from Oct 2011, ED attendance data will be collected from each ED as well as information from patient questionnaires about the care the patient received and the status of their health 6-10 weeks after the injury. Patients who died due to their head injury, experienced surgery due to their injury, had a change identified on a CT scan or re-attended the ED with a clear head injury complication are defined as experiencing a poor outcome. Information such as the patients' conscious state (GCS), level of clotting in their blood (INR) and symptoms will be investigated as predictors of a poor outcome. A mathematical model will be used to estimate the most cost-effective strategy assuming published National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) thresholds for cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY).

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 3556

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults who attend participating emergency departments (ED) with a head injury and also prescribed warfarin

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 16 years or older
• Blunt head trauma above the neck within 24 hours of ED attendance
• Prescribed warfarin

Exclusion Criteria:

• Penetrating injuries to the head, for example knife wound.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rate of head injury complication in study cohort	Head injury complications defined as death or neurosurgery resulting from the initial injury, a clinically-significant CT scan finding or re-attendance to the ED with a significant head injury-related complication up to 10 weeks after the original attendance.	18 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence of ongoing symptoms relating to the head injury	Impaired activities of daily living (assessed by the EQ5D)	18 months
Prevalence of ongoing symptoms relating to the head injury	Headache symptoms	18 months
Prevalence of ongoing symptoms relating to the head injury	Impaired cognitive function (assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale)	18 months
Identification of early predictors of adverse clinical outcome	Including clinical features and initial investigations which may be useful as a diagnostic tool.	18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Sheffield
• Collaborators: National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Suzanne Mason, MD, University of Sheffield

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• EuroQol Group. EuroQol--a new facility for the measurement of health-related quality of life. Health Policy. 1990 Dec;16(3):199-208. doi: 10.1016/0168-8510(90)90421-9.
• Wilson JT, Pettigrew LE, Teasdale GM. Structured interviews for the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale: guidelines for their use. J Neurotrauma. 1998 Aug;15(8):573-85. doi: 10.1089/neu.1998.15.573.
• Fenwick E, Claxton K, Sculpher M. Representing uncertainty: the role of cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. Health Econ. 2001 Dec;10(8):779-87. doi: 10.1002/hec.635.
• Teasdale G, Murray G, Parker L, Jennett B. Adding up the Glasgow Coma Score. Acta Neurochir Suppl (Wien). 1979;28(1):13-6. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-4088-8_2. No abstract available.
• Landefeld CS, Beyth RJ. Anticoagulant-related bleeding: clinical epidemiology, prediction, and prevention. Am J Med. 1993 Sep;95(3):315-28. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(93)90285-w.
• Saab M, Gray A, Hodgkinson D, Irfan M. Warfarin and the apparent minor head injury. J Accid Emerg Med. 1996 May;13(3):208-9. doi: 10.1136/emj.13.3.208.
• Stiell IG, Wells GA, Vandemheen K, Clement C, Lesiuk H, Laupacis A, McKnight RD, Verbeek R, Brison R, Cass D, Eisenhauer ME, Greenberg G, Worthington J. The Canadian CT Head Rule for patients with minor head injury. Lancet. 2001 May 5;357(9266):1391-6. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(00)04561-x.
• Haydel MJ, Preston CA, Mills TJ, Luber S, Blaudeau E, DeBlieux PM. Indications for computed tomography in patients with minor head injury. N Engl J Med. 2000 Jul 13;343(2):100-5. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200007133430204.
• Mower WR, Hoffman JR, Herbert M, Wolfson AB, Pollack CV Jr, Zucker MI; NEXUS II Investigators. National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study. Developing a clinical decision instrument to rule out intracranial injuries in patients with minor head trauma: methodology of the NEXUS II investigation. Ann Emerg Med. 2002 Nov;40(5):505-14. doi: 10.1067/mem.2002.129245.
• Volans AP. The risks of minor head injury in the warfarinised patient. J Accid Emerg Med. 1998 May;15(3):159-61. doi: 10.1136/emj.15.3.159.
• Hart RG, Boop BS, Anderson DC. Oral anticoagulants and intracranial hemorrhage. Facts and hypotheses. Stroke. 1995 Aug;26(8):1471-7. doi: 10.1161/01.str.26.8.1471.
• Hylek EM, Singer DE. Risk factors for intracranial hemorrhage in outpatients taking warfarin. Ann Intern Med. 1994 Jun 1;120(11):897-902. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-120-11-199406010-00001.
• Ferrera PC, Bartfield JM. Outcomes of anticoagulated trauma patients. Am J Emerg Med. 1999 Mar;17(2):154-6. doi: 10.1016/s0735-6757(99)90050-5.
• Mathiesen T, Benediktsdottir K, Johnsson H, Lindqvist M, von Holst H. Intracranial traumatic and non-traumatic haemorrhagic complications of warfarin treatment. Acta Neurol Scand. 1995 Mar;91(3):208-14. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1995.tb00436.x.
• National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care (UK). Head Injury: Triage, Assessment, Investigation and Early Management of Head Injury in Infants, Children and Adults. London: National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care (UK); 2007 Sep. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53036/
• Fortuna GR, Mueller EW, James LE, Shutter LA, Butler KL. The impact of preinjury antiplatelet and anticoagulant pharmacotherapy on outcomes in elderly patients with hemorrhagic brain injury. Surgery. 2008 Oct;144(4):598-603; discussion 603-5. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2008.06.009. Epub 2008 Aug 29.
• Li J, Brown J, Levine M. Mild head injury, anticoagulants, and risk of intracranial injury. Lancet. 2001 Mar 10;357(9258):771-2. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04163-5.
• Gittleman AM, Ortiz AO, Keating DP, Katz DS. Indications for CT in patients receiving anticoagulation after head trauma. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2005 Mar;26(3):603-6.
• Lavoie A, Ratte S, Clas D, Demers J, Moore L, Martin M, Bergeron E. Preinjury warfarin use among elderly patients with closed head injuries in a trauma center. J Trauma. 2004 Apr;56(4):802-7. doi: 10.1097/01.ta.0000066183.02177.af.
• Fabbri A, Vandelli A, Servadei F, Marchesini G. Coagulopathy and NICE recommendations for patients with mild head injury. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004 Dec;75(12):1787-8. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2004.041384. No abstract available.
• Felli JC, Hazen GB. Sensitivity analysis and the expected value of perfect information. Med Decis Making. 1998 Jan-Mar;18(1):95-109. doi: 10.1177/0272989X9801800117. Erratum In: Med Decis Making 2001 May-Jun;21(3):254. Med Decis Making. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1):97.
• Ades AE, Lu G, Claxton K. Expected value of sample information calculations in medical decision modeling. Med Decis Making. 2004 Mar-Apr;24(2):207-27. doi: 10.1177/0272989X04263162.
• Wilson JT, Edwards P, Fiddes H, Stewart E, Teasdale GM. Reliability of postal questionnaires for the Glasgow Outcome Scale. J Neurotrauma. 2002 Sep;19(9):999-1005. doi: 10.1089/089771502760341910.
• Mason S, Kuczawski M, Teare MD, Stevenson M, Goodacre S, Ramlakhan S, Morris F, Rothwell J. AHEAD Study: an observational study of the management of anticoagulated patients who suffer head injury. BMJ Open. 2017 Jan 13;7(1):e014324. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014324.
• Kuczawski M, Stevenson M, Goodacre S, Teare MD, Ramlakhan S, Morris F, Mason S. Should all anticoagulated patients with head injury receive a CT scan? Decision-analysis modelling of an observational cohort. BMJ Open. 2016 Dec 13;6(12):e013742. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013742.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 27, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): June 3, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 3, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2015
• Last Verified: May 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Warfarin
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Trauma, Nervous System; Wounds, Nonpenetrating; Wounds and Injuries; Craniocerebral Trauma; Head Injuries, Closed
• Other Study ID Numbers: PB-PG-0808-17148