Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81772058, 81671198, 81771317, 81571883), Professor Jiang Jiyao from Neurosurgery Department of Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has conducted collaborative investigation and research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) with Southwest Medical University, Zhejiang University, Central South University, Wuxi Taihu Hospital, Southern Medical University and Shenzhen University. The capability to treat TBI in China is at the same level as in developed countries, according to the research published online in the Lancet Neurology (Impact Factor 27.138) on February 13, 2019 titled "Traumatic Brain Injury in China". Professor Jiang Jiyao is the first author and the only corresponding author. The paper link is: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(18) 30469-1/fulltext? From = singlemessage&isastalled=0.

As a serious public health problem in China, TBI with the annual incidence of 55-64/100,000 causes nearly 100,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of disabilities. Through extensive data analysis, this paper comprehensively analyzes the characteristics and current situation of TBI in China. Big data show that since the incarceration of drunk driving in China in 2011, the number of TBI caused by traffic vehicles has decreased, while the number of TBI caused by mopeds (a.k.a. electric bicycles) has increased significantly. With the popular application of CT scanning in most hospitals, the establishment of neurosurgery intensive care unit (NICU), the development of related technologies such as intracranial pressure monitoring (ICP), surgical and brain protective technologies, TBI treatment in China has been significantly improved over the past two decades. Meanwhile, clinical research on evidence-based medicine has been carried out, and more consensus and guidelines in the field have been completed by Chinese experts, which makes both clinical practice and research in the field on a par with the world’s top level.

This paper systematically analyzes the epidemiology, causes and current situation of TBI in China. It shows the achievements made in the diagnosis and treatment of TBI and clinical research, and indicates the difficulties, such as the lack of airborne transport of TBI patients normally leading to delays in rescue, low prevalence of NICUs, lack of standardization of clinical treatment, imbalance of regional treatment capability, and insufficient high-level clinical randomized controlled studies (RCTs). The paper suggests that China should aim for further improvement of TBI medical care for patients in NICUs, enhance professional training for young neurosurgeons, and conduct more regional or international RCTs and comparative effectiveness research (CER).