Poly- und Schädelhirntrauma

Managing polytraumatized patients represents a challenging and complex clinical scenario, particularly when the brain is injured. Due to medical and technical progress, the mortality rate in polytraumatized patients has decreased over the last decades. However, survivors may have tremendous damaging long-term effects on their quality of life caused by functional limitations, mental complaints, and cognitive disorders.

Since avoiding complications may reduce mortality and morbidity, we acquire and analyze data routinely assessed at our trauma surgery department referring to patients suffering polytrauma or traumatic brain injury. We search for significant differences in clinically relevant parameters and patient characteristics between specific subgroups and test them for their suitability to determine high-risk patients. We evaluate and compare treatment strategies and recommend how to apply them.

Identifying the most appropriate time point to perform the definitive osteosynthesis of major fractures was the impetus of our serum biomarker research in 2011. Meanwhile, we also explore diagnostic biomarkers to quantify the extent of an injury, prognostic biomarkers to indicate the probable outcome, and predictive biomarkers to forecast the likelihood of complications in polytrauma victims. Furthermore, we focus on the time course of serum biomarker levels to elucidate pathophysiological changes that might contribute to an improved polytrauma regimen.

Principal investigators

• Dr. Anna Antoni, MSc
  (traumatic brain injury, antithrombotic therapy, polytrauma)
  ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2294-649X
  anna.antoni@meduniwien.ac.at
• Ap. Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Thomas Haider MBA PhD FEBOT
  (inflammation, trauma, neurotrauma, spinal cord injury, hand surgery)
  ORCID-ID: 0000-0003-3192-8453
  thomas.a.haider@meduniwien.ac.at
• Priv.- Doz. DDr. Valerie Weihs
  (polytrauma, traumatic brain injury, long-term outcome, epidemiology, survival analysis)
  ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1697-1381
  valerie.weihs@meduniwien.ac.at
• Ap.Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Lukas Negrin MBA MMSc. PhD
  (serum biomarkers in polytrauma care, pulmonary complications, injuries to the central nervous system, innovative outcome predictors, knee injuries)
  ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7195-2223
  lukas.negrin@meduniwien.ac.at

Most recent publications

• Antoni A, Puhl P, Wedrich L, Wagner R, Millesi M, Weihs V, Schwendenwein E, Aldrian S, Hajdu S. Impact of Different DOACs on Complications of TBI After Low-Energy Trauma. J Clin Med. 2025 Dec 11;14(24):8787. doi: 10.3390/jcm14248787. 
• Weihs V, Antoni A, Frenzel S, Aldrian S, Hajdu S, Negrin LL. The Characteristics of Severely Injured Trauma Patients Admitted to a Level I Trauma Center with Pre-Injury Use of Oral Anticoagulation (OAC) or Antiplatelet Therapy (APT). J Clin Med. 2025 May 21;14(10):3614. doi: 10.3390/jcm14103614. 
• Wollner G, Hruska F, Ettel P, Weichhart T, Koenig FRM, Negrin LL. MIP-3-Alpha and MIP-3-Beta as Early Predictors of Pneumonia in Polytraumatized Patients. Lung. 2025 Mar 13;203(1):44. doi: 10.1007/s00408-025-00799-2. 

• Wagner R, Haider T, Babeluk R, Marhold F, Hajdu S, Antoni A. Is there a clinical benefit of S100B for the management of mild traumatic brain injury? J Neurosurg. 2025 Mar 7;143(2):472-478. doi: 10.3171/2024.10.JNS241516. 

• Weihs V, Babeluk R, Negrin LL, Aldrian S, Hajdu S. Sex-Based Differences in Polytraumatized Patients between 1995 and 2020: Experiences from a Level I Trauma Center. J Clin Med. 2024 Oct 8;13(19):5998. doi: 10.3390/jcm13195998. 

• Wollner G, Hruska F, Koenig FRM, Haider T, Negrin LL. Heterotopic Ossifications Following Intramedullary Stabilization of Femoral Fractures in Polytraumatized Patients. J Clin Med. 2024 Sep 19;13(18):5557. doi: 10.3390/jcm13185557
• Negrin LL, Ristl R, Wollner G, Hajdu S. Differences in Eotaxin Serum Levels between Polytraumatized Patients with and without Concomitant Traumatic Brain Injury-A Matched Pair Analysis. J Clin Med. 2024 Jul 19;13(14):4218. doi: 10.3390/jcm13144218. 
• Negrin LL, Carlin GL, Ristl R, Hajdu S. Time trajectories and within-subject correlations of matrix metalloproteinases 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 serum levels and their ability to predict mortality in polytraumatized patients: a pilot study. Eur J Med Res. 2024 Apr 10;29(1):225. doi: 10.1186/s40001-024-01775-x.
• Negrin LL, Carlin GL, Ristl R, Hajdu S. Serum levels of matrix metalloproteinases 1, 2, and 7, and their tissue inhibitors 1, 2, 3, and 4 in polytraumatized patients: Time trajectories, correlations, and their ability to predict mortality. PLoS One. 2024 Mar 8;19(3):e0300258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300258. 
• Negrin LL, Hajdu S. Serum Angiopoietin-2 level increase differs between polytraumatized patients with and without central nervous system injuries. Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 7;13(1):19338. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45688-x. 

• Wollner G, Weihs V, Frenzel S, Aldrian S, Negrin LL. Musculus psoas major morphology - a novel predictor of mortality in elderly polytraumatized patients. BMC Emerg Med. 2023 Feb 7;23(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12873-023-00783-0. 

• Antoni A, Wedrich L, Schauperl M, Höchtl-Lee L, Sigmund IK, Gregori M, Leitgeb J, Schwendenwein E, Hajdu S. Management of Traumatic Brain Injury in Patients with DOAC Therapy: Are the "New" Oral Anticoagulants Really Safer? J Clin Med. 2022 Oct 25;11(21):6268. doi: 10.3390/jcm11216268. 

• Bumberger A, Braunsteiner T, Leitgeb J, Haider T. Intracranial pressure monitoring following traumatic brain injury: evaluation of indications, complications, and significance of follow-up imaging-an exploratory, retrospective study of consecutive patients at a level I trauma center. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2022 Apr;48(2):863-870. doi: 10.1007/s00068-020-01570-3.