Marcel Aries is born in 1979. He studied medicine in Nijmegen. He completed his internship of neurology and intensive care in University Medical Center Groningen and University of Cambridge (UK). His PhD thesis was on improvement of cerebral perfusion in acute stroke and severe traumatic brain injury patients. In 2016 he started as an intensive care consultant in Maastricht University Medical Center with special interest in severe acute brain injury. His research objectives are focused on improving cerebral monitoring and imaging and development of new treatment to reduce (secondary) cerebral damage after acute brain injury. In 2017 he started the ‘Brain Battle Foundation’ (HersenStrijd fonds) which is supported by University Fund Limburg (SWOL) of the University of Maastricht. He is a principle investigation of division I of the school of Mental Health and NeuroSciences (MHeNs).    

 

 

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury: an urgent call for monitoring and treatments….

TBI is the leading cause of death and disability in young adults. The incidence in elderly patients is increasing. Importantly severe TBI is related to 4.5 times increased risk of Alzheimer disease (chronic disease?). Recent large observational studies show variability in treatments of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients word wide but unfortunately these differences are not related to clinical outcome. This warrants the development of new concepts and ideas of both monitoring and individualized treatments. An attractive option is to individualize perfusion treatment guided by continuous physiological cerebral measurements on the intensive care. This concept is boosted by our recent completed (feasibility and safety) COGITATE multi-center study and related physiological interventions at the bedside. But the research is somehow limited by the fact that anno 2022 still no continuous cerebral perfusion monitor is available. As there is no vaccination for TBI, prevention of accidents is of utmost importance. For example by wearing improved road infrastructures and promoting wearing bicycle helmets.