Neurocritical care
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To assess the safety and effectiveness of lumbar drains as adjuvant therapy in severe bacterial meningitis, and compare it to standard treatment. ⋯ In this study, the use of lumbar drainage in adult patients with severe bacterial meningitis was safe, and likely contributed to the low mortality and morbidity.
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Patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently undergo multiple angiographic studies within a 48-h period. We sought to evaluate the impact of these repeated contrast loads on renal function. ⋯ Our results underscore the relative safety of the usage of multiple angiographic studies performed in patients with aneurysmal SAH, particularly in patients without baseline renal disease.
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Clinical Trial
The prognostic value of brain extracellular fluid nitric oxide metabolites after traumatic brain injury.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a compound with both protective and damaging effects on neurons. Quantification of NO metabolites in humans is limited by sample contamination with blood. In vivo cerebral microdialysis may offer an alternative approach as sampling of extracellular fluid (ECF) adjacent to neurons becomes possible. We investigate the prognostic value of brain ECF NO metabolites in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Early ECF NO x concentrations are of prognostic value after TBI. ECF NO x may be a useful biomarker for treatment trials targeted at nitric oxide metabolism.