Optimizing neuro-intensive care of traumatic brain injury

David Nelson's research has focused on integrated approaches of interpreting multiple data streams from brain injury patients. His current research focuses on several aspects of brain injury including biomarkers, coagulation, dysautonomic reactions and multimodal monitoring.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, especially among younger persons. The most severe brain injured require neuro-intensive care. The complex, noisy and data rich streams from clinical multi-modal monitoring in the neuro-intensive care unit (NICU), in the notoriously heterogeneous TBI population, are particularly hard to interpret and are poorly understood or validated.

A better understanding of the patho-physiology is needed to steer current and future treatments. Research is primarily conducted at the Karolinska University Hospital NICU where many aspects of traumatic brain injury from cellular response, biomarkers and multi-modal monitoring, to large data-based outcome prediction analyses are investigated.

Research project

Dr David Nelson is a senior consultant in anesthesia and intensive care working at the neuro-intensive care unit (NICU) at the Karolinska University Hospital, and conducts his research at the Karolinska Institutet.

His research has focused on integrated approaches of interpreting multiple data streams from brain injury patients. He has among other approaches, applied machine learning pattern recognition techniques to data streams from multi-modal monitoring, particularly cerebral micro-dialysis, and computed tomography, laboratory values and epidemiological data.

His current research focuses on several aspects of brain injury including biomarkers, coagulation, dysautonomic reactions and multimodal monitoring. He is part of the large European FP7 observational study of traumatic brain injury (CENTER-TBI).

Group members

David Nelson,  MD, PhD
Cecilia Åkerlund,  MD, MS Engineering Physics, PhD student
Marcus Bådholm,  MD
Joann Brinne Roos,  PhD
Emanuel Patti,  MD

Selected publications

A Serum Protein Biomarker Panel Improves Outcome Prediction in Human Traumatic Brain Injury.
Thelin E, Al Nimer F, Frostell A, Zetterberg H, Blennow K, Nyström H, et al
Journal of Neurotrauma,15 October 2019;36(20):2850-2862

Case-mix, care pathways, and outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury in CENTER-TBI: a European prospective, multicentre, longitudinal, cohort study.
Steyerberg EW, Wiegers E, Sewalt C, Buki A, Citerio G, De Keyser V, et al
The Lancet Neurology, October 2019; 18(10):923-934

Intensive care admission criteria for traumatic brain injury patients across Europe.
Volovici V, Ercole A, Citerio G, Stocchetti N, Haitsma IK, Huijben JA, et al
Journal of Critical Care, February 2019;49():158-161

Evaluation of novel computerized tomography scoring systems in human traumatic brain injury: An observational, multicenter study.
Thelin EP, Nelson DW, Vehviläinen J, Nyström H, Kivisaari R, Siironen J, et al
PLoS Medicine, 3 August 2017;14(8):e1002368

Utility of neuron-specific enolase in traumatic brain injury; relations to S100B levels, outcome, and extracranial injury severity.
Thelin EP, Jeppsson E, Frostell A, Svensson M, Mondello S, Bellander BM, et al
Critical Care, 8 September 2016;20():285

Kinetic modelling of serum S100b after traumatic brain injury.
Ercole A, Thelin EP, Holst A, Bellander BM, Nelson DW
BMC Neurology, 17 June 2016;16():93

Analyses of cerebral microdialysis in patients with traumatic brain injury: relations to intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure and catheter placement.
Nelson DW, Thornquist B, MacCallum RM, Nyström H, Holst A, Rudehill A, et al
BMC Medicine, 2 March 2011;9():21

Contact

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David Nelson

Affiliated to Research
DN
Content reviewer:
12-07-2023