Articles: brain-injuries.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jan 2001
Release of biochemical markers of damage to neuronal and glial brain tissue is associated with short and long term neuropsychological outcome after traumatic brain injury.
The present study aimed at the analysis of release patterns of neurobiochemical markers of brain damage (neuron specific enolase (NSE) and protein S-100B) in patients with traumatic brain injury and their predictive value with respect to the short and long term neuropsychological outcome. ⋯ The analysis of post-traumatic release patterns of neurobiochemical markers of brain damage might help to identify patients with traumatic brain injury who run a risk of long term neuropsychological dysfunction.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Jan 2001
Long-latency auditory-evoked potentials in severe traumatic brain injury.
To detect the effects of different deviant stimuli on long-latency auditory-evoked potentials (LLAEPs) in patients with severe impairment of consciousness from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to define their prognostic value for late functional outcome. ⋯ LLAEPs can be recorded in patients with severe impairment of consciousness by means of passive paradigms. The use of a stimulus that is relevant for the patient can enhance the accuracy of the test and its relationship with functional outcome.
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Minerva anestesiologica · Jan 2001
Deaths with acute cerebral lesion and heart-beating potential organ donors in the Veneto region.
The study was aimed at describing the clinical characteristics of dead patients with acute cerebral lesion and analyzing reasons of the shortage of heart-beating potential organ donors in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in the Veneto Region. ⋯ The number of deaths with acute cerebral lesion represents a sensible index and a key factor for evaluating the potential organ donor pool in small regions and in the single intensive care unit. Collected data demonstrate that in the Veneto Region the efficiency of solid organ retrieval can be improved and that organ donor shortage may depend, beyond family refusal, on clinical and cultural factors that hamper stabilized heart-beating deaths. Most potential donors with age over 70 or problematical clinical situations are preventively excluded by ICUs physicians. To improve organ donation all the patients who die in spite of neuro-intensive treatment should be prevented from circulatory arrest to permit legal declaration of death. Thus more potential organ donors without absolute contraindications could be recovered and time would exist for discussing any problematical situation with experts in organ procurement, particularly in respect to existing urgencies in the waiting list.
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The Journal of pediatrics · Jan 2001
Editorial Comment ReviewTreatment of pediatric traumatic brain injury: a broad path to a narrow gate.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Czosnyka and others' Pressure Reactivity Index (PRx) and neurologic outcome in patients with acute brain injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cerebrovascular pathology. PRx measures the correlation between arterial blood pressure and intracranial pressure waves and may reflect cerebral autoregulation in response to blood pressure changes. A negative PRx reflects intact cerebrovascular response, whereas a positive PRx reflects impaired response. ⋯ For those with cerebrovascular pathology, the effect was not significant (P = 0.10) and was in the opposite direction. For individuals with TBI, PRx may provide useful information related to cerebral autoregulation that is predictive of outcome. The meaning of PRx in individuals with cerebrovascular pathology is unclear, and further study is needed to examine the paradoxical findings observed.