Neurocritical care
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Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CR) has been reported to be associated with adverse outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). However, CR may be determined using different paradigms and it is unclear, which measurement method most suitable reflects the clinical course or is able to predict clinical deterioration. ⋯ Due to the low number of included subjects, the obtained results are preliminary. However, they indicate that either the present technique of index-determination is not sensitive enough or that there is no strong relation between the measured indices and clinical outcome. Future verification is required of continuous against already established non-continuous monitoring techniques of CR in order to relate both to clinical outcome.
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Cardiac arrest and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage both cause sudden, severe cerebral hypoperfusion at ictus. Animal studies indicate that the resultant microvascular dysfunction and cerebral perfusion abnormalities are important determinants of the associated cerebral injury in both conditions. Although this suggests that perfusion imaging might be a useful tool for prognostication in patients with these conditions, this hypothesis has not been thoroughly investigated in humans. ⋯ Early global cerebral hypoperfusion can be demonstrated by CT perfusion imaging after cardiac arrest associated with high-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and may be indicative of poor neurologic outcome. CT perfusion should be investigated as a prognostic tool in these conditions.
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Multicenter Study
Acute coagulopathy in isolated blunt traumatic brain injury.
The role of acute coagulopathy after traumatic brain injury (TBI) on outcome has gained increasing appreciation over the recent years. This study was conducted to assess the frequency, outcome, and risk factors associated with this complication. ⋯ Coagulopathy upon ER admission is frequent after isolated blunt TBI and represents a powerful, independent predictor related to prognosis. Future research should aim to determine the beneficial effects of early treatment of TBI-associated coagulopathy.
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This study assesses the utility of a hybrid optical instrument for noninvasive transcranial monitoring in the neurointensive care unit. The instrument is based on diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) for measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for measurement of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentration. DCS/NIRS measurements of CBF and oxygenation from frontal lobes are compared with concurrent xenon-enhanced computed tomography (XeCT) in patients during induced blood pressure changes and carbon dioxide arterial partial pressure variation. ⋯ DCS measurements of CBF and NIRS measurements of tissue blood oxygenation were successfully obtained in neurocritical care patients. The potential for DCS to provide continuous, noninvasive bedside monitoring for the purpose of CBF management and individualized care is demonstrated.
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We examined a bedside technique transcerebral double-indicator dilution (TCID) for global cerebral blood flow (CBF) as well as the concept of effective cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP(eff)) during different treatment options for intracranial hypertension, and compared global CBF and CPP(eff) with simultaneously obtained conventional parameters. ⋯ TCID allows repeated measurements of global CBF at the bedside. Elevated ventilation lowered and osmotherapy temporarily raised global CBF. In situations of increased vasotonus, CPP(eff) is a better indicator of blood flow changes than conventional CPP.