Serum S-100B and interleukin-8 as predictive markers for comparative neurologic outcome analysis of patients after cardiac arrest and severe traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE

To compare S-100B and interleukin-8 serum values on scene/at admission and 12 hrs later with respect to neurologic long-term outcome 12 months after cardiac arrest and return of spontaneous circulation, as well as after severe traumatic brain injury.

DESIGN

Prospective comparative cohort study.

SETTING

On scene; intensive care units of a university hospital.

PATIENTS

Twenty patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Twenty patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

INTERVENTIONS

Therapy was adjusted to the standards of modern prehospital and intensive care management by physicians who were not involved in the study.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

First median S-100B values of the cardiac arrest group (4.42 ng/mL) mounted as high as those of the traumatic brain injury group (4.11 ng/mL). Within 12 hrs, S-100B levels significantly decreased to 0.75 ng/mL in cardiac arrest patients and to 0.68 ng/mL in traumatic brain injury patients but remained significantly elevated compared with the controls (0.04 ng/mL). Interleukin-8 levels of the cardiac arrest patients on scene (30.33 pg/mL) were clearly elevated above normal (12.60 pg/mL) and increased significantly to 101.40 pg/mL after 12 hrs. They showed no significant difference compared with those of the traumatic brain injury patients (78.75 pg/mL and 96.00 pg/mL, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analysis in cardiac arrest patients identified only the S-100B level measured 12 hrs after study entry as an independent predictor for unfavorable neurologic outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale score. In contrast, S-100B as well as interleukin-8 levels quantified 12 hrs after admission significantly predicted an unfavorable neurologic course in the traumatic brain injury group.

CONCLUSIONS

Significantly elevated S-100B and interleukin-8 serum levels 12 hrs after cardiac arrest suggest that primary brain damage and systemic inflammatory response are comparably serious with that of traumatic brain injury. In both collectives, increased S-100B values measured 12 hrs after insult correlated well with an unfavorable neurologic outcome after 12 months.