Neurocritical care
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparison of Three Point-of-Care Ultrasound Views and MRI Measurements for Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter: A Prospective Validity Study.
Point-of-care ultrasound of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) to diagnose increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is of great interest in various clinical scenarios. Yet, the lack of examination standardization has made clinical utility difficult. We compare three ultrasound ocular plane views (inferior, sagittal, and transverse), which are currently used in the literature to evaluate their consistency. Comparisons for each view to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements were also made. ⋯ Our findings suggest that absolute measurements should not be compared across different ultrasound orientations given the wide variability in the correlation between the ultrasound views used to assess the optic nerve sheath. The inferior and transverse ultrasound views are the most likely to yield high-quality images, although the specific view, for the best image, in an individual patient can vary. We would caution against absolute values of ONSD to indicate increased ICP, as it may be view dependent.
-
As the COVID-19 pandemic developed, reports of neurological dysfunctions spanning the central and peripheral nervous systems have emerged. The spectrum of acute neurological dysfunctions may implicate direct viral invasion, para-infectious complications, neurological manifestations of systemic diseases, or co-incident neurological dysfunction in the context of high SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. A rapid and pragmatic approach to understanding the prevalence, phenotypes, pathophysiology and prognostic implications of COVID-19 neurological syndromes is urgently needed. ⋯ This is one of the first large-scale global research collaboratives urgently assembled to evaluate acute neurological events in the context of a pandemic. The innovative and pragmatic tiered study approach has allowed for rapid recruitment and activation of numerous sites across the world-an approach essential to capture real-time critical neurological data to inform treatment strategies in this pandemic crisis.
-
Amantadine and modafinil are neurostimulants that may improve cognitive and functional recovery post-stroke, but the existing study results vary, and no comprehensive review has been published. This systematic review describes amantadine and modafinil administration practices post-stroke, evaluates timing and impact on clinical effectiveness measures, and identifies the incidence of potential adverse drug effects. A librarian-assisted search of the MEDLINE (PubMed) and EMBASE databases identified all English-language publications with "amantadine" or "modafinil" in the title or abstract from inception through February 1, 2020. ⋯ Only one publication each for amantadine (10%; n = 5 patients) and modafinil (8%; n = 21 patients) studied acutely hospitalized or ICU patients; both were randomized studies showing improvements in neurocognitive function for amantadine and fatigue for modafinil. Potential adverse drug effects were reported in approximately 50% of publications, most commonly visual hallucinations with amantadine (2% of patients) and dizziness (5% of patients) and dry eyes or mouth (5% of patients). Amantadine and modafinil may improve cognitive and functional recovery post-stroke, but higher-quality data are needed to confirm this conclusion, especially in the acute care setting.
-
To assess the impact of introducing a devastating brain injury (DBI) pathway on patient outcome, intensive care unit (ICU) resources, and organ donation practice in the first 3 years of implementation in a regional neurosciences ICU in the South West of England. ⋯ Admitting patients with perceived DBI to ICU and avoiding the early WLST allows identification of unexpected survivors and gives families more time in decision making at the end of life. The DBI pathway increases the potential for organ donation and increases the proportion of DBD donors. These benefits outweigh the small impact of a DBI pathway on ICU resources.
-
Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) following systemic thrombolysis for ischemic stroke is often devastating, and open surgical evacuation is considered dangerous due to the increased risk of perioperative bleeding, and stereotactic placement of a catheter is too time-consuming. We therefore evaluated the feasibility of a free-hand bedside catheter technique for emergency hematoma evacuation. ⋯ Emergency free-hand bedside catheter aspiration is a reasonable option for hematoma evacuation in large thrombolysis-associated sICH when performed by experienced neurosurgeons. Larger studies would help in determining the generalizability of our findings to other centers and assessing their impact on functional outcome.