Neurocritical care
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In patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), it is unclear whether aneurysm treatment <24 h after ictus results in better outcomes than treatment 24-72 h after aSAH. We studied whether aneurysm occlusion <24 h is associated with better outcomes than occlusion 24-72 h after aSAH. ⋯ Our results suggest that aneurysm occlusion can be performed in day time within 72 h after ictus, instead of on an emergency basis. However, due to the retrospective, non-randomized design of our study, our results cannot be considered as definitive evidence.
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Our goal was to perform a systematic review of the literature on the use of ketamine in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its effects on intracranial pressure (ICP). All articles from MEDLINE, BIOSIS, EMBASE, Global Health, HealthStar, Scopus, Cochrane Library, the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (inception to November 2013), reference lists of relevant articles, and gray literature were searched. Two reviewers independently identified all manuscripts pertaining to the administration of ketamine in human TBI patients that recorded effects on ICP. ⋯ No significant adverse events related to ketamine were recorded in any of the studies. Outcome data were poorly documented. There currently exists Oxford level 2b, GRADE C evidence to support that ketamine does not increase ICP in severe TBI patients that are sedated and ventilated, and in fact may lower it in selected cases.
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Observational Study
Cerebral Regional Oxygen Saturation and Serum Neuromarkers for the Prediction of Adverse Neurologic Outcome in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
The aim of this study is to determine the utility of non-invasive bedside neuromonitoring, including cerebral regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) measured by near-infrared spectroscopy and serum biomarkers, in identifying children at risk from adverse neurological outcome after heart surgery. ⋯ Bedside determination of cerebral rSO2 may have some utility in identifying children at risk for adverse neurological outcome after heart surgery in children. Additional studies that are sufficiently powered to control for the many covariates in this patient population will be required to fully interrogate this important question. The role of serum neuromarkers in the immediate post-operative period do not appear to be helpful in this question, though more thorough interrogation of delayed periods may ultimately demonstrate some utility in answering this question.
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Malignant infarction is characterized by the formation of cerebral edema, and medical treatment is limited. Preclinical data suggest that glyburide, an inhibitor of SUR1-TRPM4, is effective in preventing edema. We previously reported feasibility of the GAMES-Pilot study, a two-center prospective, open label, phase IIa trial of 10 subjects at high risk for malignant infarction based on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) threshold of 82 cm(3) treated with RP-1127 (glyburide for injection). In this secondary analysis, we tested the hypothesis that RP-1127 may be efficacious in preventing poor outcome when compared to controls. ⋯ In this pilot study, RP-1127-treated subjects showed better clinical outcomes when compared to historical controls. An adequately powered and randomized phase II trial of patients at risk for malignant infarction is needed to evaluate the potential efficacy of RP-1127.
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The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a routine component of a neurological exam for critically ill traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, yet has been criticized for not accurately depicting verbal status among intubated patients or including brain stem reflexes. Preliminary research on the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) Scale suggests it overcomes these limitations. Research is needed to determine correlations with patient outcomes. The aims of this study were to: (1) examine correlations between 24 and 72 h FOUR and GCS scores and functional/cognitive outcomes; (2) determine relationship between 24 and 72 h FOUR scores and mortality. ⋯ FOUR is comparable to GCS in terms of predictive ability for functional status, cognitive outcome 3 months post-injury, and in-hospital mortality.