Neurocritical care
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We asked whether continuous intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring data could provide objective measures of the degree and timing of intracranial hypertension (ICH) in the first week of neurotrauma critical care and whether such data could be linked to outcome. ⋯ Although early elevations in ICP occur, ICPs are the highest later in the hospital course than previously understood, and temporal patterns of ICP elevation are associated with functional outcome. Understanding this temporal nature of secondary insults has significant implications for management.
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Known predictors of adverse outcomes in patients with moderate-severe TBI (msTBI) explain only a relatively small proportion of patient-related outcomes. The frequency and impact of intensive care unit complications (ICU-COMPL) on msTBI-associated outcomes are poorly understood. ⋯ ICU-COMPL are very common after msTBI, have a considerable impact on short-term outcomes, and should be considered in the prognostication of these high risk patients. Survival associations of time-dependent complications warrant cautious interpretation.
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Do survivors of acute neurologic injury remember their stay in the neuroscience intensive care unit?
Patients in medical, surgical, and trauma intensive care units (ICUs) are at risk for later development of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because acute brain injury can impair recall; we sought to show that neuroscience patients undergoing prolonged neuroscience ICU admission have limited memory of their ICU stay and thus are less likely to develop symptoms of PTSD. ⋯ Patients requiring prolonged neuroscience ICU admission do not appear to be traumatized by their ICU stay.
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Observational Study
Bivalirudin as a bridge for anticoagulation in high risk neurosurgical patients with active DVT or high risk of thrombosis.
Bivalirudin is an ultrashort acting direct thrombin inhibitor, which has been used in place of heparin in selected settings. We describe our preliminary experience with the use of bivalirudin in patients who required anticoagulation for a deep vein thrombosis, prosthetic heart valve, or hypercoagulable state but were felt to be at high risk for the use of heparin. ⋯ Based on these findings, bivalirudin may represent a reasonable alternative in patients for whom heparin anticoagulation is contraindicated. A larger multicenter trial of bivalirudin in this setting may be appropriate.
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Critical closing pressure (CCP) denotes a threshold of arterial blood pressure (ABP) below which brain vessels collapse and cerebral blood flow ceases. Theoretically, CCP is the sum of intracranial pressure (ICP) and arterial wall tension (WT). The aim of this study is to describe the behavior of CCP and WT during spontaneous increases of ICP, termed plateau waves, in order to quantify ischemic risk. ⋯ Rising CCP during plateau waves increases the probability of cerebral vascular collapse and zero flow when the difference: ABP-CCP (the "collapsing margin") becomes zero or negative.