Neurocritical care
-
Postictal encephalopathy is well known after status epilepticus (SE), but its prognostic impact and triggers are unknown. Here, we aimed to establish risk factors for the development of postictal encephalopathy and to study its impact on survival after discharge. ⋯ In this cohort, postictal encephalopathy after SE was common and associated with poor long-term survival. Seizure characteristics were not independently associated with postictal encephalopathy; the underlying etiology, long (high-dose midazolam) sedation, high age, and poor premorbid condition were the major risk factors for its development.
-
Intracranial pressure (ICP) can be continuously and reliably measured using invasive monitoring through an external ventricular catheter or an intraparenchymal probe. We explore electroencephalography (EEG) to identify a reliable real-time noninvasive ICP correlate. ⋯ EEG ϕ angle is a promising real-time noninvasive measure of ICP/cerebral perfusion using surface electroencephalography.
-
There are pathological conditions in which intracranial hypertension and patent basal cisterns in computed tomography coexist. These situations are not well recognized, which could lead to diagnostic errors and improper management. ⋯ Our study provides preliminary evidence that in selected patients who develop refractory intracranial hypertension with patent basal cisterns and no focal mass effect on computed tomography, controlled lumbar drainage appears to be a therapeutic option. In our study there were no deaths or complications. Prospective and larger studies are needed to confirm our results.
-
Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a noninvasive bedside tool for cerebral hemodynamic assessments in multiple clinical scenarios. TCD, by means of measuring systolic and diastolic blood velocities, allows the calculation of the pulsatility index (PI), a parameter that is correlated with intracranial pressure (ICP). Nevertheless, the predictive value of the PI for raised ICP appears to be low, as it is subjected to several, often confounding, factors not related to ICP. Recently, the pulsatile apparent resistance (PaR) index was developed as a PI corrected for arterial blood pressure, reducing some of the confounding factors influencing PI. This study compares the predictive value of PaR versus PI for intracranial hypertension (IH) (ICP > 20 mm Hg) in patients with traumatic brain injury. ⋯ In the present study, discriminative power of the PaR for discriminating IH was superior to the PI. The PaR seems to be a reliable noninvasive parameter for detecting IH. Further studies are warranted to define its clinical application, especially in aiding neurosurgical decision making, following up in intensive care units, and defining its ability to indicate responses according to the therapies administered.
-
After electroencephalography (EEG) was introduced in hospitals, early literature recognized burst-suppression pattern (BSP) as a distinctive EEG pattern characterized by intermittent high-power oscillations alternating with isoelectric periods in coma and epileptic encephalopathies of childhood or the pattern could be induced by general anesthesia and hypothermia. The term was introduced by Swank and Watson in 1949 but was initially described by Derbyshire et al. in 1936 in their study about the anesthetic effects of tribromoethanol. Once the EEG/BSP pattern emerged in the literature as therapeutic goal in refractory status epilepticus, researchers began exploring whether the depth of EEG suppression correlated with improved seizure control and clinical outcomes. We can conclude that, from a historical perspective, the evidence to suppress the brain to a BSP when treating status epilepticus is inconclusive.