Neurocritical care
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Blood coagulation and hemostasis issues are important aspects of patient care in acute neurosurgical patients. Coagulopathy often complicates the already difficult management of cerebrovascular and intracranial hemorrhagic disease and injuries, adding to the already high associated morbidity and mortality. Common causes of coagulopathy, as well as its management in acute neurosurgical settings, are outlined in this review. Awareness of how to promptly evaluate and effectively treat coagulopathic processes is instrumental to the success of the neurosurgeon in managing acute intracranial pathologies.
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Cerebrovascular disease and trauma are leading causes of death in the United States. In addition to the initial insult to the brain, disturbances of cerebral oxygenation and metabolism underlie many of the secondary pathophysiological processes that increase both morbidity and mortality. ⋯ New technologies capable of offering continuous and quantitative assessment of cerebral oxygenation may improve clinical outcomes. In this article, we review the physiological principles of cerebral metabolism, cerebral blood flow and their metabolic coupling, and cerebral oxygenation, with particular emphasis on variables that could be monitored and managed in an intensive care unit setting.
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The characteristics of patients with anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hemorrhage (AAICH) have not been well characterized in a population-based setting. ⋯ AAICH preferentially affects the cerebellum. Despite its association with amyloid angiopathy, lobar ICH was no more likely to be anticoagulant-associated than deep cerebral ICH. The excess mortality among AAICH patients accrues within one day of hemorrhage. Patients with AAICH have a high burden of vascular risk factors. New treatments for AAICH with prothrombotic potential should be evaluated in randomized controlled trials before routine use.
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Predicting outcome in patients with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may help guide therapy and assist in family discussions. The objective of this study was to determine if continuous electroencephalogram (cEEG) monitoring results are predictive of 3-month outcome in critically ill patients with SAH. ⋯ cEEG monitoring provides independent prognostic information in patients with poor-grade SAH, even after controlling for clinical and radiological findings. Unfavorable findings include periodic epileptiform discharges, electrographic status epilepticus, and the absence of sleep architecture.
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Our objective was to investigate the feasibility of lumbar drainage (LD) as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of communicating hydrocephalus in patients with supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and ventricular extension (IVH) who initially required an external ventricular drain (EVD). ⋯ Our preliminary data suggest that LD is a simple and reasonable alternative for treating communicating hydrocephalus after ICH and IVH. The combination of IVF to enhance clot resolution and to clear the third and fourth ventricle followed by LD may represent a new and promising approach in the therapy of hydrocephalus following severe ventricular hemorrhage.