Traumatic brain injury clinical score (TBICS) predicts survival outcomes in dogs and cats with acute traumatic brain injury.

TBICS effectively predicts short- and long-term survival in dogs and cats with acute TBI, outperforming MGCS.

This study introduces and validates the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Score (TBICS) as a prognostic tool for dogs and cats presenting with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using a mixed retrospective (2017–2019) and prospective (2019–2020) design at a university teaching hospital, the authors evaluated 38 dogs and 31 cats with TBI occurring within 24 hours of presentation. The primary outcomes assessed were survival to hospital discharge (short-term) and survival at or beyond 6 months (long-term). Short-term survival rates were approximately 65% in both species. In dogs, the TBICS demonstrated good discriminatory ability with AUCs of 0.846 (short-term) and 0.892 (long-term), with an optimal cutoff of ≤8. The modified Glasgow Coma Scale (MGCS) showed slightly lower AUCs of 0.812 and 0.873 with a cutoff of ≥14. In cats, TBICS outperformed the MGCS more notably, with AUCs of 0.861 and 0.929 versus an MGCS AUC of 0.775 for short-term survival only. TBICS offers balanced sensitivity and specificity across both species and timeframes. Importantly, the score can be completed within minutes of admission, making it practical for emergency settings. The TBICS appears to be a valid, species-applicable, and clinically efficient prognostic scoring system that performs comparably or superiorly to the established MGCS, supporting its use as an adjunct or alternative tool in acute TBI triage and client communication.

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