Neurocritical care
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Outcome from trauma, surgery, and a variety of other medical conditions has been shown to be positively affected by providing treatment at facilities experiencing a high volume of patients with those conditions. An electronic literature search was made to identify English-language articles available through March 2011, addressing the effect of patient treatment volume on outcome for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Limited data were identified, with 16 citations included in the current review. ⋯ Patients treated at low-volume hospitals are less likely to experience definitive treatment. Furthermore, transfer to high-volume centers may be inadequately arranged. Several factors may influence the better outcome at high-volume centers, including the availability of neurointensivists and interventional neuroradiologists.
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Cardiopulmonary complications after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage negatively affect overall morbidity and mortality. An electronic literature search was performed for English-language articles focused on cardiopulmonary complications with subarachnoid hemorrhage published through October 2010. A total of 278 citations were identified, including 72 clinical studies. ⋯ Arrhythmias also occur in about one-third of patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage. The incidence of pulmonary complications, especially neurogenic pulmonary edema, is more difficult to establish from available literature. Cardiopulmonary complications have been linked to worsened clinical outcome, suggesting a role for cardiac monitoring and interventions.
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Hypovolemia is common after subarachnoid hemorrhage, and fluid imbalance negatively affects clinical outcome. Standard bedside volume measures fail to adequately assess fluid status after subarachnoid hemorrhage. ⋯ These studies highlight that fluid status is often affected and difficult to assess after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Both non-invasive and invasive monitors may be used to more accurately define volume status.
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Review Practice Guideline
Critical care management of patients following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: recommendations from the Neurocritical Care Society's Multidisciplinary Consensus Conference.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is an acute cerebrovascular event which can have devastating effects on the central nervous system as well as a profound impact on several other organs. SAH patients are routinely admitted to an intensive care unit and are cared for by a multidisciplinary team. A lack of high quality data has led to numerous approaches to management and limited guidance on choosing among them. ⋯ Recommendations were developed using the GRADE system. Emphasis was placed on the principle that recommendations should be based not only on the quality of the data but also tradeoffs and translation into practice. Strong consideration was given to providing guidance and recommendations for all issues faced in the daily management of SAH patients, even in the absence of high quality data.
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Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte imbalance seen in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, occurring in one-third to one-half of patients. Hyponatremia may be caused by cerebral salt wasting and by the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone or a combination of both. Limited data are available describing hyponatremia treatment in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients. ⋯ Seven appropriate articles were identified as followed: three testing fludrocortisone, two hydrocortisone, and one each for hypertonic saline and 5% albumin. Data quality for treatment efficacy and safety were moderate for corticosteroid studies and low or very low for hypertonic saline and 5% albumin. Available data, although limited, support early treatment with corticosteroids to limit hyponatremia, with fludrocortisone causing fewer side effects.