Neurocritical care
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Limited data exist regarding the optimal clinical trial design for studies involving persons with disorders of consciousness (DoC), and only a few therapies have been tested in high-quality clinical trials. To address this, the Curing Coma Campaign Clinical Trial Working Group performed a gap analysis on the current state of clinical trials in DoC to identify the optimal clinical design for studies involving persons with DoC. ⋯ Conduct of trials in patients with DoC should make use of master protocols and adaptive design and establish international registries incorporating standardized assessment tools. This will allow the establishment of evidence-based practice recommendations and decrease variations in care.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Derivation of Coagulation Phenotypes and the Association with Prognosis in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Cluster Analysis of Nationwide Multicenter Study.
The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of traumatic coagulopathy during traumatic brain injury is not well understood, and the appropriate treatment strategy for this condition has not been established. This study aimed to evaluate the coagulation phenotypes and their effect on prognosis in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury. ⋯ This multicenter, observational study identified five different coagulation phenotypes of traumatic brain injury and showed associations of these phenotypes with in-hospital mortality.
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Cerebral edema has primarily been studied using midline shift or clinical deterioration as end points, which only captures the severe and delayed manifestations of a process affecting many patients with stroke. Quantitative imaging biomarkers that measure edema severity across the entire spectrum could improve its early detection, as well as identify relevant mediators of this important stroke complication. ⋯ Cerebral edema can be measured in a majority of patients with stroke on follow-up computed tomography using volumetric biomarkers evaluating CSF shifts, including in many without visible midline shift. Edema formation is influenced by clinical and radiographic stroke severity but also by chronic vascular risk factors and contributes to worse stroke outcomes.