Neurocritical care
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The use of cerebral autoregulation monitoring to identify patient-specific optimal mean arterial pressure (MAPOPT) has emerged as a technique to augment cerebral oxygen delivery in post-cardiac arrest patients. Our systematic review aims to determine (a) the average MAPOPT in these patients, (b) the feasibility of identifying MAPOPT, (c) the brain tissue oxygenation levels when MAP is within proximity to the MAPOPT and (d) the relationship between neurological outcome and MAPOPT-targeted resuscitation strategies. We carried out this review in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. ⋯ There was no consistent association between targeting MAPOPT and improved neurological outcome. There is considerable heterogeneity in MAPOPT due to differences in monitoring methods of autoregulation. Further research is needed to assess the clinical utility of MAPOPT-guided strategies on decreasing secondary injury and improving neurological outcomes after ROSC.
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Almost two-thirds of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) develop some form of hemostatic disturbance, which contributes to poor outcome. While the initial head injury often leads to impaired clot formation, TBI is also associated with an increased risk of thrombosis. Most likely there is a progression from early bleeding to a later prothrombotic state. ⋯ Later, a poorly defined prothrombotic state emerges, partly due to fibrinolysis shutdown and hyperactive platelets. In the clinical setting, early administration of the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid has proved effective in reducing head-injury-related mortality in a subgroup of TBI patients. Further studies evaluating the time course of hemostatic disruptions after TBI are warranted in order to identify windows of opportunity for potential treatment options.
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Supplemental oxygen administration to critically ill patients is ubiquitous in the intensive care unit (ICU). Uncertainty persists as to whether hyperoxia is benign in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly in regard to their long-term functional neurological outcomes. ⋯ No associations were observed between hyperoxia in ICU during the first 24 h and adverse neurological outcome at 6 months in ventilated TBI patients.
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The efficacy objective was to determine whether a novel nasopharyngeal catheter could be used to cool the human brain after traumatic brain injury, and the safety objective was to assess the local and systemic effects of this therapeutic strategy. ⋯ The results suggest that our noninvasive method for selective brain cooling, using a novel nasopharyngeal catheter, was effective and safe for use in humans.
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Apnea is one of the three cardinal findings in brain death (BD). Apnea testing (AT) is physiologically and practically complex. We sought to review described modifications of AT, safety and complication rates, monitoring techniques, performance of AT on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and other relevant considerations regarding AT. ⋯ A large body of the literature on AT since its inception addresses a variety of modifications, monitoring techniques, complication rates, ways to perform AT on ECMO, and other considerations such as variability in protocols, lack of uniform awareness, and legal considerations. Only some modifications are widely used, especially methods to maintain oxygenation, and most are not standardized or endorsed by brain death guidelines. Future updates to AT protocols and strive for unification of such protocols are desirable.