Neurocritical care
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Clinical Trial
Seizure detection with a commercially available bedside EEG monitor and the subhairline montage.
Availability of standard, continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) monitoring in ICU is very limited, although commercially available 4-channel modules are present in many ICUs. We investigated the sensitivity of such modules compared with the more complete monitoring with a standard EEG system. ⋯ The 4-channel EEG module has limited but practical usefulness for seizure detection when standard cEEG monitoring is not available.
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Anti-platelet medication and reduced platelet activity are associated with an increased risk of death after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The optimal assay for assessing platelet activity is not defined. We hypothesized that reduced platelet activity would be common after ICH. ⋯ A medication history does not reliably identify patients with reduced platelet activity after ICH, and this may explain studies that found no association between known aspirin use and outcomes. Future studies should screen for unknown use of anti-platelet medications after ICH. Neither assay perfectly identified patients who reportedly used anti-platelet medication before ICH.
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The aim of our study is to confirm the reliability of optic nerve ultrasound as a method to detect intracranial hypertension in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage, to assess the reproducibility of the measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), and to verify that ONSD changes concurrently with intracranial pressure (ICP) variations. ⋯ Our investigation confirms the reliability of optic nerve ultrasound as a non-invasive method to detect elevated ICP in intracranial hemorrhage patients. ONSD measurements proved to have a good reproducibility. ONSD changes almost concurrently with CSF pressure variations.
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Outcome is poor in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients with intracranial hypertension. As one treatment option for increased intracranial pressure (ICP), decompressive craniectomy (DC) is discussed. Its impact on cerebral metabolism and outcome in SAH patients is evaluated in this pilot study. ⋯ Outcome was poor in all SAH patients with intracranial hypertension. Although glucose utilization was improved after DC, no improvement in outcome could be shown for this small patient population. Future studies will have to demonstrate whether markers of cerebral crisis may support the decision for DC in aneurysmal SAH patients.
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Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) continues to gain in popularity as a bedside method for tracheostomy placement in the intensive care unit. Here, we present a description of ultrasound technique and two case examples to show the utility of bedside ultrasound screening to select patients with appropriate anatomy for PDT. ⋯ Bedside ultrasound screening allows for easy identification of pretracheal vascular structures that might pose a hemorrhage risk during PDT.