Neurological research
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Neurological research · Nov 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialProtocol-directed weaning from mechanical ventilation in neurological patients: a randomised controlled trial and subgroup analyses based on consciousness.
To assess whether a weaning protocol reduces the mechanical ventilation (MV) duration compared to physician's judgement-based weaning in neurological patients and to determine whether patient consciousness influences this reduction. ⋯ Protocol-directed weaning reduces weaning time, MV duration, length of NCU stay and NCU cost in neurological patients, and these effects are more significant in conscious patients than in unconscious patients.
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Neurological research · Nov 2015
Pupillometry in brain death: differences in pupillary diameter between paediatric and adult subjects.
The determination of brain death in neonates, infants, children and adults relies on a clinical diagnosis based on the absence of neurological function with a known irreversible cause of brain injury. Evaluation of pupil size and non-reactivity is a requisite for determination of brain death. There are no studies in the literature that quantitatively assess pupil size in brain dead children and adults. ⋯ This is the first study in the literature objectively evaluating pupil sizes in infants, children and adults diagnosed with brain death. We observed variation between observed pupil size and that expected based on brain death determination guidelines.