Neurocritical care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Association between disability measures and short-term health care costs following intracerebral hemorrhage.
Small improvements in clinical outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) can have a substantial impact on overall health care costs, yet little data exists on the costs associated with the most commonly studied clinical outcomes in this type of stroke. ⋯ Health care costs vary significantly by levels of disability as measured by the mRS, but costs do not vary across the full range of mRS outcomes. The mRS is more informative than the Barthel index and NIHSS for discriminating the resource use and costs associated with different levels of disability after ICH.
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Multicenter Study
Aggressive red blood cell transfusion: no association with improved outcomes for victims of isolated traumatic brain injury.
Clinical studies have caused blood transfusion practices in critically ill patients to become more conservative in the last decade. However, few studies have focused on trauma patients, particularly those with severe isolated traumatic brain injury. ⋯ Our results suggest that a restrictive transfusion practice is safe for severely head-injured patients.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effect of endovascular hypothermia on acute ischemic edema: morphometric analysis of the ICTuS trial.
Pilot studies of hypothermia for stroke suggest a potential benefit in humans. We sought to test whether hypothermia decreases post-ischemic edema using CT scans from a pilot trial of endovascular hypothermia for stroke. ⋯ Endovascular hypothermia decreases acute post-ischemic cerebral edema. A larger trial is warranted to determine if it affects final infarct volume and outcome in stroke.