Neurosurgery
-
Patients undergoing multilevel spine surgery are at risk for delayed extubation. ⋯ PSM analysis of patients undergoing multilevel thoracic and/or lumbar spine fusion demonstrated that increased administration of crystalloid to colloid ratio is independently associated with delayed extubation. With increasing EBL, a proportionate reduction of crystalloids facilitates early extubation.
-
Pediatric supratentorial ependymomas (SEs) have distinct molecular and behavioral differences from their infratentorial counterparts. ⋯ In our series, GTR may be associated with better PFS, but did not impact OS. Surprisingly, RELA fusion was not found to be a negative prognostic factor, raising the possibility that the deleterious effects may be overcome by aggressive resection.
-
Endovascular surgery is the first-line treatment for indirect cavernous carotid fistulae (CCFs). This study compares multiple treatment techniques. ⋯ To treat indirect CCFs, transvenous coil embolization is the safest and most effective technique. Liquid embolics are less effective and have more complications and should be carefully considered only in extenuating circumstances.
-
In an era of growing healthcare costs, there is increased pressure on medical care providers to discharge patients once they are medically fit. However, it is not uncommon for patients to stay beyond medical readiness (BMR). ⋯ LOS-BMR is an important process engineering concept within neurosurgery that represents a potential area for improvement to maximize limited healthcare resources. A sizeable portion of neurosurgical patients remained in the hospital BMR.
-
Systematic review (SR) abstracts are frequently relied upon to guide clinical decision-making. However, there is mounting evidence that the quality of abstract reporting in the medical literature is suboptimal. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the overall reporting quality of abstracts in leading neurosurgical journals requires improvement. Strengths include the large number abstracts assessed, and its weaknesses include the fact that only neurosurgery-specific journals were surveyed. We recommend that attention be turned toward strengthening abstract submission and peer-review processes.