Faculty/School

Faculty of Health

School of Clinical Sciences

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Supervisors

Dr Wayne Loudon
Position
Senior Lecturer
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Health

External supervisors

  • Dr Stephen Rashford, QAS

Overview

This sub-project aims to publish on the feasibility and technical implementation for EEG acquisitions in the emergency prehospital setting during the management of patients with a traumatic brain injury. This sub-project will be attached to the current EEG in Traumatic Brain Injury (EnTRAIN)  study recruiting participants within the Brisbane region in partnership with the Queensland ambulance service and funded by the Emergency Medicine Foundation.

Traumatic Brain injury causes significant morbidity and mortality. The primary insult can only be prevented through strategies such as vehicle safety, helmet laws etc. however the secondary insult which occurs immediately after the primary injury can be influenced by timely prehospital care. Prevention of secondary injury requires careful management of oxygenation, cerebral perfusion and maintenance of normal metabolic requirements. To maintain oxygenation and normocarbia (normal carbon dioxide levels) the patient may undergo emergency anaethesia and intubation. Real-time monitoring of neurological functioning is challenging once the patient has been anesthetized and paralysed. It can be difficult to identify early rises in intracranial pressure, occurrences of ischaemia and post injury seizure activity. EEG has shown promise as a monitoring modality that may provide real time information on these factors and the use of Quantitative EEG makes this usable in the emergency environment. Early identification of changes could allow early intervention and improved outcomes. This study aims to observe and describe EEG measures and how they relate to physiological responses after brain injury.

Research engagement

This project aims to evaluate the feasibility and technical implementation of the EnTRAIN study. It will include an interim review of the collected data to assess its quality. Additionally, a comprehensive literature review will be conducted, and a manuscript will be prepared for publication.

Research activities

The participating student will conduct a literature review to inform the introduction and discussion sections of the manuscript. Additionally, they will be introduced to the technical implementation plan of the parent study. An interim analysis, conducted by a neuroscientist, will assess the quality of the collected data and provide evidence for the success of the technical implementation and feasibility of this technology in the prehospital emergency setting.

Outcomes

This sub-project will evaluate the success of the EnTRAIN study's implementation. A manuscript will be prepared for publication with the student as a named author.

Skills and experience

Students must have experience in the out of hospital setting and have a keen interest in the development of prehospital clinical research.

Start date

1 November, 2024

End date

21 February, 2025

Location

QUT Kelvin Grove Campus

Additional information

Successful students will have access to private office space and  laptop if required.

Keywords

Contact

Wayne Loudon w.loudon@qut.edu.au