Neurocritical care
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Neurosurgical involvement in the care of major stroke complications has yielded striking results in the subtentorial region but equivocal outcomes in the supratentorial compartment. Most neurosurgeons want to see some degree of deterioration before proceeding; thus, timing will be debated. Viewpoints have changed over the years regarding surgical or medical intervention, but in many patients the procedure has not produced a definitive change in outcome other than preventing death from terminal brainstem shift. The introduction of craniectomy (and craniotomy) to treat swollen ischemic brain or intracranial hemorrhage has historical interest.
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Compromised cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a crucial factor in delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Repeated measurement of CBF may improve our understanding of the temporal dynamics following SAH. The aim of this study was to assess CBF at different phases of the acute course in poor-grade SAH patients, hypothesizing more pronounced disturbances at day 4-7, and that the initial level of CBF determines the following course of CBF. ⋯ CBF studied in poor-grade SAH patients at large did not show any statistically significant changes over time. Stratifying patients by high or low initial CBF and whether HHH therapy was given revealed an association between low initial CBF and persistent low CBF at day 4-7. These findings may be of clinical relevance in managing SAH patients with low early CBF.
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Anticoagulation therapy is a major risk factor for unfavorable patient outcomes following (traumatic) intracranial hemorrhage. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are increasingly used for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases. Data on patients treated for acute subdural hemorrhage (SDH) during anticoagulation therapy with DOAC are limited. ⋯ These findings support the favorable safety profile of DOAC in patients, even in the setting of intracranial hemorrhage. However, the availability of specific antidotes to DOAC may further improve the management of these patients.