Neurocritical care
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Response of Brain Oxygen to Therapy Correlates with Long-Term Outcome After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
Brain oxygen (PbtO2) monitoring can help guide care of poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients. The relationship between PbtO2-directed therapy and long-term outcome is unclear. We hypothesized that responsiveness to PbtO2-directed interventions is associated with outcome. ⋯ Response to PbtO2-directed intervention is associated with improved long-term functional outcome in aSAH patients.
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Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a largely reversible disease with long-term favorable outcome. A minority of patients, however, may develop progressive cerebral edema and ischemia resulting in severe disability or death. We report a case of severe intracranial hypertension associated with PRES that was successfully treated according to intracranial pressure (ICP)- and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP)-driven therapy. ⋯ The decision to undertake ICP monitoring in medical conditions in which no clear recommendations exist greatly relies on physicians' judgment. This case suggests that ICP monitoring may be considered in the setting of acute PRES among selected patients, when severe intracranial hypertension is suspected, provided that a multidisciplinary team of neurocritical care specialists is readily available.
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Initial reports of the FUNC score suggest that it may accurately identify those patients suffering from intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with an ultra low chance of functional neurologic recovery. This study's aim is to validate the FUNC score and determine if it accurately identifies the cohort of patients with an ultra low chance of survival with good neurologic recovery. ⋯ The FUNC and ICH-GS appear superior to the oICH in predicting outcome in patients with primary ICH. In addition, the FUNC score appears to accurately identify patients with low chance of functional neurologic recovery at discharge.
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To determine the incidence of electrographic seizures during continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) in the medical and surgical ICU. ⋯ In a tertiary care medical and surgical ICU, electrographic seizures were seen on 11 % of cEEGs ordered for the evaluation of encephalopathy, and were associated with worse functional outcomes at discharge. Our findings confirm the results of a prior study suggesting a substantial burden of electrographic seizures in critically ill encephalopathic patients.
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To investigate differences in outcome of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) based on institution of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order within first 24 h of admission. ⋯ DNR institution and restriction of resuscitation was not associated with poor outcome or difference in survival within 1 year after ICH. This indicates an early DNR probably does not lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in this population, and might be explained by our practice, were DNR orders do not impact the level of supportive medical care we provide.