Neurocritical care
-
Current guidelines recommend routine clamping of external ventricular drains (EVD) for intrahospital transport (IHT). The aim of this project was to describe intracranial hemodynamic complications associated with routine EVD clamping for IHT in neurocritically ill cerebrovascular patients. ⋯ Routine clamping of EVD for IHT in cerebrovascular patients is associated with post-IHT ICP complications. Pre-IHT ICP ≥ 15 mmHg, increasing hourly CSF output, and IHT for therapeutic procedures are risk factors.
-
Comparative Study
Clevidipine Versus Nicardipine for Acute Blood Pressure Reduction in a Neuroscience Intensive Care Population.
Currently, a lack of published literature exists regarding the use of clevidipine in the neuroscience population. This agent may be preferred in some patients because of its short half-life, potentially leading to more narrow blood pressure (BP) control in comparison with other agents. The purpose of this study was to compare the difference in time to achieve target systolic blood pressure (SBP) goals with clevidipine versus nicardipine infusions in patients admitted to the neuroscience intensive care unit (NSICU) at our institution. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences in acute BP management between the two agents; however, there was a trend toward shorter time to target and significantly less volume administered in the clevidipine group. Either agent should be considered a viable option in a NSICU population.
-
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is a frequently performed invasive procedure that has been associated with high short-term mortality. Its use of special interest in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients as nutrition support constitutes important issues in intensive care of this group. We used a national database to determine the incidence of, and factors associated with, in-hospital mortality among TBI patients undergoing PEG. ⋯ Understanding the rate of mortality associated with PEG in this patient population and identifying factors that increase and decrease the risk of death will improve patient selection for those most likely to benefit from this procedure.
-
Lung protective ventilation has not been evaluated in patients with brain injury. It is unclear whether applying positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) adversely affects intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). We aimed to evaluate the effect of PEEP on ICP and CPP in a large population of patients with acute brain injury and varying categories of acute lung injury, defined by PaO2/FiO2. ⋯ Our results suggest that PEEP can be applied safely in patients with acute brain injury as it does not have a clinically significant effect on ICP or CPP. Further prospective studies are required to assess the safety of applying a lung protective ventilation strategy in brain-injured patients with lung injury.
-
Myoclonic status may be observed following cardiac arrest and has previously been identified as a poor prognostic indicator in regard to return of neurologic function. We describe a unique situation in post-cardiac arrest patients with myoclonic status and hypothesize possible predictors of a good neurologic outcome. ⋯ On rare occasions, myoclonic status does not imply a poor functional outcome following cardiac arrest. Other clinical and demographic characteristics including young age, presence of illicit substances, and primary respiratory causes of arrest may contribute to a severe clinical presentation, with a subsequent good neurologic outcome in a small subset of patients.