Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Oct 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of prophylactic low dose of tranexamic acid in spinal fixation surgery: a randomized clinical trial.
Spinal fixation surgery is potentially associated with significant bleeding, often requiring multiple blood transfusions. Concern for the risks of transfusion-acquired infection and immune modulation effects of allogeneic blood has led to the investigation of various hemostatic agents such as tranexamic acid (TXA). The investigators hypothesized that a prophylactic low dose of TXA would reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements during spinal fixation surgery. ⋯ The administration of a prophylactic low dose of TXA did not have a significant effect in the management of intraoperative blood loss and transfusion requirements in patients undergoing spinal fixation surgery.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Oct 2011
ReviewThe Lund concept for the treatment of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Two different main concepts for the treatment of a severe traumatic brain injury have been established during the last 15 years, namely the more conventional concept recommended in well-established guidelines (eg, U. S. Guideline, European Guideline, Addelbrook's Guideline from Cambridge), on the one hand, and the Lund concept from the University Hospital of Lund, Sweden, on the other. ⋯ Although conventional guidelines are restricted to clinical data from meta-analytic surveys, the physiological approach of Lund therapy finds support in both experimental and clinical studies. It offers a wider base and can also provide recommendations regarding fluid therapy, lung protection, optimal hemoglobin concentration, temperature control, the use of decompressive craniotomy, and ventricular drainage. This paper puts forward arguments in support of Lund therapy.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Oct 2011
Measuring preoperative anxiety in patients with intracranial tumors: the Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale.
Preoperative anxiety is a major problem in patients with brain tumors and is of high clinical relevance. However, to date no instruments have been validated for the assessment of preoperative anxiety for this patient group. The Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) has shown promising results for the assessment of preoperative anxiety. The aim of this study was to determine its psychometric properties and the optimal cutoff score for patients with intracranial tumors to make it applicable in the neurosurgical setting. ⋯ Despite its brevity, the APAIS is valid and recommendable for the assessment of preoperative anxiety in patients with intracranial tumors. As this is the first validation study focusing on patients with severe diseases and major surgeries, we recommend the application of our cutoff scores also for patients similar to our study population with regard to disease and surgery severity.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Oct 2011
ReviewLund concept for the management of traumatic brain injury: a physiological principle awaiting stronger evidence.
The "Lund concept" involving a "volume-targeted" strategy for intracranial pressure control originated in the University of Lund, Sweden, more than 20 years ago and has remained controversial ever since. It is based on the premise that the blood-brain barrier is disrupted after traumatic brain injury and cerebral autoregulation is impaired; hence, the transcapillary water exchange is determined by the differences in hydrostatic and colloid osmotic pressure between the intracapillary and extracapillary compartments. The Lund concept argues that the only way of inducing transcapillary reabsorption of interstitial fluid is to control the transcapillary osmotic and hydrostatic differences and utilizes a complex combination pharmacotherapy involving β1-antagonist metoprolol, α2-agonist clonidine, low-dose thiopental, dihydroergotamine, and maintenance of colloid osmotic pressure by red blood cell transfusion and albumin administration. ⋯ It deemphasizes the effect of secondary cerebral ischemia and contradicts the common treatment goal of cerebral blood flow optimization by augmentation of cerebral perfusion pressure. In fact, good evidence exists against the use of many individual components of the Lund therapy in traumatic brain injury. In the absence of strong evidence to support it, the Lund concept is unlikely to gain acceptance elsewhere.