Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2013
ReviewAnemia and transfusion after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Anemia is common in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but these patients have constituted only a small fraction of those studied in large trials of anemia and transfusion. Unlike other critically ill patients, those with SAH face a well-defined risk of vasospasm and cerebral ischemia in the weeks after their hemorrhage. ⋯ Most of these data are observational in nature, although 1 recent study demonstrated the safety and feasibility of maintaining relatively high transfusion thresholds in patients with SAH. Larger, randomized trials are needed to determine at what levels of anemia patients with SAH might benefit from transfusion, the optimal timing of transfusion, and how to identify those patients who are most likely to benefit.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2013
Image-guided transcranial Doppler sonography for monitoring of defined segments of intracranial arteries.
Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is widely used in neurointensive care. Image guidance (IG) could simplify secure vessel identification and reduce interinvestigator and intrainvestigator variability. The present study was purposed to investigate the precision and reproducibility of image-guided TCD. ⋯ Data suggest that image-guided TCD allows for accurate examinations with high intraprocedural and high interprocedural reproducibility. It facilitates identification of specific vessel segments and generation of standardized examination protocols for serial examinations.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialThe effect of intraoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine on the quality of recovery after major spinal surgery.
Surgery induces a variety of metabolic, endocrine, and immune changes collectively known as the "stress response," which may often lead to prolonged postoperative convalescence. Anesthetic management may modulate this physiological response, thus affecting the postoperative course. We hypothesized that the intraoperative administration of dexmedetomidine (DEX), a sympatholytic agent, would reduce the stress response and improve the quality of recovery in patients undergoing major surgery. ⋯ DEX infusion during multilevel spinal fusions moderately improved the quality of recovery and possibly reduced fatigue in the early postoperative period. Moreover, it reduced plasma levels of cortisol and IL-10 in comparison with the control group. Our sample size was not sufficient to detect differences either in the incidence of complications or in clinically relevant outcomes.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2013
GuidelineNeuroanesthesiology fellowship training: curricular guidelines from the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care.
Standardization and accreditation of fellowship training have been considered in the field of neuroanesthesiology. A prior survey of members of the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) suggested strong support for accreditation and standardization. In response, SNACC created a Task Force that developed curricular guidelines for neuroanesthesiology fellowship training programs. These guidelines represent a first step toward standards for neuroanesthesiology training and will be useful if accreditation is pursued in the future.