title: Monitoring of serum ionized magnesium in neurosurgical intensive care unit: preliminary results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our purpose was to determine the values for serum ionized magnesium (Mg) concentrations in traumatic brain injury and its effect on the prognostic scores of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively measured serum ionized magnesium concentrations in 30 patients that were classified into three groups (severe, moderate, mild) by Glasgow Coma Scale Score. Serum ionized magnesium concentrations were measured during posttraumatic 5 days. Thirty patients with head trauma were followed in a neurosurgical intensive care unit with monitoring serum ionized magnesium concentrations. All patients were treated conservatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found significant difference of serum ionized magnesium concentrations when we compared all groups with each other (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on this clinical preliminary study, traumatic brain injury is associated with graded deficit in serum ionized magnesium concentrations. Thus, measurement of serum ionized magnesium concentrations can be used as a clinical marker in traumatic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, 06018 Etlik-, Ankara, Turkey. skahraman@gata.edu.tr
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kahraman
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozgurtas
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kayali
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atabey
authors.forename: Turker
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kutluay
authors.forename: Erdener
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Timurkaynak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000097:blood; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008274:Magnesium