Neurocritical care
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Postoperative intracranial hypotension-associated venous congestion (PIHV) is an uncommon cause of clinical deterioration after a neurosurgical procedure that is often unrecognized until late in its course. Functional outcomes range from remarkable neurological recovery to death. Little is understood about the reason for deterioration in certain patients compared with improvement in others. A 68-year-old man with a progressive cervical myelopathy underwent an uncomplicated cervical decompression and alignment restoration at our hospital and suffered violent generalized tonic-clonic seizures intraoperatively and postoperatively. A postoperative head CT showed a right parietal hematoma, but no other cranial findings. A subsequent MRI demonstrated what we describe as early PIHV with symmetric T2 signal changes in the bilateral deep gray structures. No diffusion restriction corresponded to these areas. A CT myelogram revealed a considerable CSF collection within the operative bed. Upon returning to the operating room to localize the source of the leak, a large dural tear was identified off of midline with a bone chip alongside the defect. The defect was repaired, and the patient remained comatose for over a week postoperatively. He made a remarkable gradual recovery, and after a month in the hospital and rehabilitation, he returned home with relatively minimal neurological deficits. ⋯ We postulate that if caught early and treated aggressively, neurologic injury resulting from PIHV may be reversible despite initially ominous imaging. Neurosurgeons and neurointensivists should therefore be compelled to search for dural defects and return to the operating room for immediate repair.
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Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a common condition with relatively poor clinical outcome. Pulmonary complication after SAH is an important contributor to poor outcome. Previous studies have shown that labile zinc and inflammatory mediators participate in many pathophysiological processes. The present study investigated the effects of SAH on the levels of labile zinc and certain proinflammatory factors in rat lung and determined the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on the pulmonary labile zinc and the inflammatory factor after SAH in rats. ⋯ EPO can protect lung from SAH-induced injury by attenuating pulmonary inflammation and labile zinc accumulation in vivo.
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Activated prothrombin complex concentrates factor eight inhibitor bypassing activity (FEIBA) has been recommended for reversing novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in the context of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), though few clinical studies report its use. ⋯ In this small case series, reversal of NOAC with FEIBA was not associated with ICH expansion or any thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications.
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Propofol exhibits neuroprotective effects mediated by the inhibition of excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmitter release and potentiation of inhibitory amino acid (IAA) neurotransmitters. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of propofol on the EAA and IAA balance in neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE). ⋯ The current findings suggest that propofol improves NPE likely via IAA accumulation and the regulation of EAA and IAA balance, which may represent an effective treatment for NPE.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Intracranial Pressure During Pressure Control and Pressure-Regulated Volume Control Ventilation in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Crossover trial.
Mechanical ventilation with control of partial arterial CO2 pressures (PaCO2) is used to treat or stabilize intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Pressure-regulated volume control (PRVC) is a ventilator mode where inspiratory pressures are automatically adjusted to deliver the patient a pre-set stable tidal volume (TV). This may result in a more stable PaCO2 and thus a more stable ICP compared with conventional pressure control (PC) ventilation. The aim of this study was to compare PC and PRVC ventilation in TBI patients with respect to ICP and PaCO2. ⋯ Mean ICP and PaCO2 were similar for PC and PRVC ventilation in TBI patients, but PRVC ventilation resulted in less fluctuation in both ICP and PaCO2. We cannot exclude that the two ventilatory modes would have impact on ICP in patients with higher ICP values; however, the similar PaCO2 observations argue against this.