Neurocritical care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of a liberal versus restrictive transfusion strategy on mortality in patients with moderate to severe head injury.
To compare a restrictive versus a liberal transfusion strategy in patients with moderate to severe closed head injury following multiple trauma in 13 Canadian intensive care units (ICUs). ⋯ We were unable to detect significant improvements in mortality with a liberal as compared to restrictive transfusion strategy in critically ill trauma victims with moderate to severe head injury.
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Cerebrovascular disease and trauma are leading causes of death in the United States. In addition to the initial insult to the brain, disturbances of cerebral oxygenation and metabolism underlie many of the secondary pathophysiological processes that increase both morbidity and mortality. ⋯ New technologies capable of offering continuous and quantitative assessment of cerebral oxygenation may improve clinical outcomes. In this article, we review the physiological principles of cerebral metabolism, cerebral blood flow and their metabolic coupling, and cerebral oxygenation, with particular emphasis on variables that could be monitored and managed in an intensive care unit setting.
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Cardiac abnormalities that have been reported after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) include the release of cardiac biomarkers, electrocardiographic changes, and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. The mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction after SAH remain controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of LV regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) after SAH and to quantify the independent effects of specific demographic and clinical variables in predicting the development of RWMA. ⋯ RWMA were frequent after SAH. High-grade SAH, an elevation in cTi levels, a history of prior stimulant drug use, and tachycardia are independent predictors of RWMA.
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Little information is available on the efficacy of aggressive treatment such as surgery in improving the outcome of severely affected patients after supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Our objective was to assess the effect of hematoma removal and ventricular drainage on the mortality of patients with severe primary supratentorial ICH. ⋯ Hematoma removal may reduce the mortality rate of patients with severe supratentorial ICH.
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Editorial Comment
The life-saving properties of blood: mitigating cerebral insult after traumatic brain injury.
Transfusion of packed red blood cells in critically injured patients has been a lifesaving (although not completely benign) intervention for decades. The traumatically injured brain has been thought to be particularly susceptible to injury from anemia, due to the well-documented association of worsening mortality and functional outcome in the presence of hypotension and hypoxia, as well as the known vulnerability of many neuronal populations to ischemia. ⋯ Although many practitioners have commonly utilized hemoglobin (Hgb) or hematocrit thresholds for transfusion in these patients, the rationale for this practice has largely been centered on older studies in general critical care populations and animal evidence. Furthermore, in addition to an ideal " target " Hgb, many other questions remain about this clinical practice, such as the optimal duration of maintaining a specific Hgb level, and the ultimate effects of transfusion on neurological and functional outcome.