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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To assess regional brain injury on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after pediatric cardiac arrest (CA) and to associate regional injury with patient outcome and effects of hypothermia therapy for neuroprotection. ⋯ Children with lesions in the basal ganglia on conventional MRI and brain lobes on DWI within the first 2 weeks after CA represent a group with increased risk of poor outcome. These findings may be important for developing neuroprotective strategies based on regional brain injury and for evaluating response to therapy in interventional clinical trials.