Neurocritical care
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Multicenter Study
Teleneurocritical Care for Patients with Large Vessel Occlusive Ischemic Stroke Treated by Thrombectomy.
Teleneurocritical care (TNCC) provides 24/7 virtual treatment of patients with neurological disease in the emergency department or intensive care unit. However, it is not known if TNCC is safe, effective, or associated with similar outcomes compared with in-person neurocritical care. We aim to determine the effect of daily inpatient consults from TNCC on the outcomes of patients with large vessel occlusive acute ischemic stroke treated by thrombectomy. ⋯ Teleneurocritical care allows for equivalent favorable functional outcomes compared with in-person neurocritical care for patients with acute large vessel ischemic stroke receiving thrombectomy. The standardized protocols used by TNCC in this study, specifically the comprehensive 24/7 treatment of patients in the intensive care unit for the length of their stay, may be relevant for other health systems with limited in-person resources; however, additional study is required.
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Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) often carries a favorable prognosis. Of adult patients with GBS, 10-30% require mechanical ventilation during the acute phase of the disease. After the acute phase, the focus shifts to restoration of motor strength, ambulation, and neurological function, with variable speed and degree of recovery. The objective of these guidelines is to provide recommendations on the reliability of select clinical predictors that serve as the basis of neuroprognostication and provide guidance to clinicians counseling adult patients with GBS and/or their surrogates. ⋯ These guidelines provide recommendations on the reliability of predictors of the need for mechanical ventilation, poor functional outcome, and independent ambulation following GBS in the context of counseling patients and/or surrogates and suggest broad principles of neuroprognostication. Few predictors were considered moderately reliable based on the available body of evidence, and higher quality data are needed.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces complex systemic hemostatic alterations associated with secondary brain damage and death. We specifically investigated perioperative changes of hemostasis in patients with isolated TBI undergoing major neurosurgery and searched for their influence on outcome. ⋯ Rotational thromboelastometry adds important information for identifying patients with TBI at increased risk of death. Early fibrinogen-related coagulation disorders are associated with mortality of patients with TBI undergoing major neurosurgical procedures. Maintenance of higher fibrinogen levels might be necessary for neurosurgical patients with acute TBI.
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Delirium remains understudied after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We sought to identify independent predictors of delirium among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with TBI. ⋯ In this large cohort, ICU delirium after TBI affected three of five patients for a median duration of 4 days. Age, general injury severity, motor score, and features of intracranial hemorrhage were predictive of more TBI-associated delirium days. Given the high prevalence of ICU delirium after TBI and its impact on hospitalization, further work is needed to understand the impact of delirium and TBI on outcomes and to determine whether delirium risk can be minimized.
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Early reemergence of consciousness predicts long-term functional recovery for patients with severe brain injury. However, tools to reliably detect consciousness in the intensive care unit are lacking. Transcranial magnetic stimulation electroencephalography has the potential to detect consciousness in the intensive care unit, predict recovery, and prevent premature withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.