Neurocritical care
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is present in around 2-4% of trauma victims. More than half of this injuries are located at the cervical region. Twenty percent of victims with cervical spinal trauma and 5% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) will have an SCI. Cervical immobilization with rigid or semirigid collars is routinely used as prophylactic or definitive treatment intervention in general trauma care. An important adverse effect of cervical collars application is the increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) values. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to estimate the overall magnitude of ICP changes after cervical collar application. ⋯ Heterogeneous studies of application of cervical collars as a partial motion restriction strategy after injuries have demonstrated increases in ICP in TBI patients. Increases in ICP can induce complications in TBI patients. Appropriate selection criteria for cervical motion restriction in TBI patients need to be considered.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of radiographic cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) on the severity of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) as measured by: ICH volume, hematoma expansion, and extension of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). ⋯ Leukoaraiosis and cerebral atrophy appear to have opposing associations with ICH severity. Cerebral atrophy correlates with smaller ICH volume and decreased risk and severity of IVH, while leukoaraiosis is associated with increased risk of IVH. Whether these observations reflect overlapping or divergent underlying mechanisms requires further study.
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Failure of cerebral autoregulation and progression of intracranial lesion have both been shown to contribute to poor outcome in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the interplay between the two phenomena has not been investigated. Preliminary evidence leads us to hypothesize that brain tissue adjacent to primary injury foci may be more vulnerable to large fluctuations in blood flow in the absence of intact autoregulatory mechanisms. The goal of this study was therefore to assess the influence of cerebrovascular reactivity measures on radiological lesion expansion in a cohort of patients with acute TBI. ⋯ Our preliminary findings suggest a possible link between autoregulatory failure and traumatic edema progression, which warrants re-evaluation in larger-scale prospective studies.
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Rapid diagnosis and proper management of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) play a crucial role in the outcome. Prediction of the outcome with a high degree of accuracy based on admission data including imaging information can potentially influence clinical decision-making practice. ⋯ Multiparameter models combining imaging and admission clinical data show high accuracy for predicting discharge unfavorable outcome after ICH.
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Brain tissue oxygenation (PbtO2) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to be dependent on cerebral blood flow (CBF) which remains difficult to assess during the very early phase of TBI management. This study evaluates if blood flow velocity measurement with 2D color-coded transcranial Doppler (TCD) can predict cerebral hypoxic episodes in moderate-to-severe TBI measured with a PbtO2 probe. ⋯ Early TCD measurements compatible with low CBF (mean velocity < 40 cm/s) detect brain tissue hypoxia early after TBI (≤ 24 h) and could potentially be used as a screening tool before invasive monitoring insertion to help minimize time-sensitive secondary injury. Various factors influence the relationship between Vmean and PbtO2, affecting interpretation of their interaction after 24 h.