Curr Treat Option Ne
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Elevated blood pressure (BP), which presents in approximately 80 % of patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), is associated with increased risk of poor outcome. The Second Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT2) study, a multinational, multicenter, randomized controlled trial published in 2013, demonstrated better functional outcomes with no harm for patients with acute spontaneous ICH within 6 h of onset who received target-driven, early intensive BP lowering (systolic BP target <140 mmHg within 1 h, continued for 7 days) and suggested that greater and faster reduction in BP might enhance the treatment effect by limiting hematoma growth. The trial resulted in revisions of guidelines for acute management of ICH, in which intensive BP lowering in patients with acute ICH is recommended as safe and effective treatment for improving functional outcome. ⋯ Current evidences from several randomized trials, including PROGRESS and SPS3, indicate that long-term strict BP control in patients with ICH is safe and could offer additional benefits in major reduction in risk of recurrent ICH. The latest American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines recommended a target BP of <130/80 mmHg after ICH, but supporting evidence is limited. Randomized controlled trials are needed that focus on strict BP control, initiated early after onset of the disease and continued long-term, to demonstrate effective prevention of recurrent stroke and other major vascular events without additional harms in the ICH population.
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Neuropathic pain is notoriously variable in its severity and impact on patients, as well as in its response to treatment. Certain therapies for neuropathic pain have better evidence for their use; however, it is apparent that although some therapies provide relief for only a minority of patients, the relief may be significant. Without a trial of therapy, there is no way to know if that relief is achievable. ⋯ While opioid medications, particularly methadone, can be effective in treating neuropathic pain, they are best used only in refractory cases and by experienced clinicians, due to concerns for both short- and long-term safety. Some therapies have a long history of successful use for certain syndromes (e.g., carbamazepine for trigeminal neuralgia pain), but these should not be considered to the exclusion of other more recent, less-supported therapies (e.g., botulinum toxin A for the same), particularly in refractory cases. We find the principles of palliative care highly applicable in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain, including managing expectations, mutually agreed-upon meaningful outcomes, and a carefully cultivated therapeutic relationship.
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Pediatric severe traumatic brain injury continues to be a major cause of disability and death. Rapid initial airway and hemodynamic stabilization is critical, followed by the need for immediate recognition of intracranial pathology that requires neurosurgical intervention. Intracranial hypertension and cerebral hypoperfusion have been recognized as major insults after trauma and management should be directed at preventing both. ⋯ In addition, those children require antiepileptic medications for seizure prophylaxis, adequate nutritional management, and early physical therapy and rehabilitation referrals. Most of the evidence for care of children with brain injury comes from center-specific practice and experience rather than objective data. This lack of evidence provides the ground for ongoing research; nevertheless, outcomes after traumatic brain injury continue to show improvement.
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Nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) occur in as many as 20 % of comatose critically ill patients. These seizures need to be treated; however, the urgency with which this must be done and the medications that should be used are unclear. Often, data from treatment of convulsive status epilepticus (SE) is used to determine the best therapy for NCS. ⋯ Though limited, the available data suggests that valproic acid and lacosamide may be preferable to phenytoin/fosphenytoin and levetiracetam based on efficacy and side effect profiles. Other AEDs such as topiramate and pregabalin have also been used, but their data is even more limited, and they do not have an intravenous formulation. Clinical trials that have recently been completed and those that are ongoing will further inform our decisions about which drugs to use in the future.
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Clinical management in the acute setting needs to occur in the intensive care unit in order to identify, prevent, and treat secondary insults from local ischemia, hypotension, hypoxia, and inflammation. Maintenance of adequate perfusion and oxygenation is quintessential and a mean arterial pressure >85-90 mm Hg should be kept for at least 1 week. ⋯ Robust prevention of pressure ulcers as well as nutritional support should be a mainstay of treatment. Lastly, it is important to note that neurologic recovery is a several-year process. The most recovery occurs in the first year following injury, and therefore aggressive rehabilitation is crucial.