Neurocritical care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Two Seriously Medically Ill Populations and Their Family Caregivers: A Comparison and Clinical Implications.
Anxiety and depression are common among patients with acute illness and their families. In oncology, psychosocial services addressing these symptoms are increasingly part of regular practice. Less is known about psychiatric distress among patients with acute neurological injury (ANI) and their family caregivers. To highlight this inequity in psychosocial intervention across medical services, we compared anxiety and depressive symptomatology shortly following diagnosis among patients facing incurable cancer or ANI and their family caregivers. ⋯ This is the first cross-comparison of psychiatric distress in patients and family caregivers affected by two distinct, life-threatening illnesses early in the illness trajectory. Findings support the priority of addressing psychiatric distress among patients with ANI and their family caregivers, as has been emphasized in the psychosocial oncology field.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cold Blooded: Evaluating Brain Temperature by MRI During Surface Cooling of Human Subjects.
Targeted temperature management (TTM) confers neurological and survival benefits for post-cardiac arrest patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) who remain comatose. Specialized equipment for induction of hypothermia is not available in the prehospital setting, and there are no reliable methods for emergency medical services personnel to initiate TTM. We hypothesized that the application of surface cooling elements to the neck will decrease brain temperature and act as initiators of TTM. ⋯ The application of surface cooling elements to the neck decreased brain temperature and may serve as a method to initiate TTM in the prehospital setting.