Neurocritical care
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Clinical Trial
Continuous Optical Monitoring of Cerebral Hemodynamics During Head-of-Bed Manipulation in Brain-Injured Adults.
Head-of-bed manipulation is commonly performed in the neurocritical care unit to optimize cerebral blood flow (CBF), but its effects on CBF are rarely measured. This pilot study employs a novel, non-invasive instrument combining two techniques, diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) for measurement of CBF and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for measurement of cerebral oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations, to monitor patients during head-of-bed lowering. ⋯ DCS/NIRS detected differences in CBF and oxygenation responses of brain-injured patients versus controls during head-of-bed manipulation. This pilot study supports the feasibility of continuous bedside measurement of cerebrovascular hemodynamics with DCS/NIRS and provides the rationale for further investigation in larger cohorts.
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To systematically review the literature on brain injury biomarkers, defined as any injury biomarker detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood injury biomarkers primarily expressed in the brain parenchyma, to determine outcome prediction in pediatric severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). ⋯ Based on the status of current sTBI biomarker research, we recommend that future research should be directed at both novel biomarker discovery and validation of biomarker panels in large, well-designed longitudinal studies.
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We hypothesized that the degree of preserved functional connectivity within the DMN during the first week after cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) would be associated with functional outcome at hospital discharge. ⋯ Among initially comatose CPA survivors with indeterminate prognosis, task-free fMRI demonstrated graded disruption of DMN connectivity, especially in those with bad outcomes. If confirmed, connectivity strength in the PC/PCC may provide a clinically useful prognostic marker for functional recovery after CPA.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Intravenous Lacosamide in Refractory Seizure Clusters and Status Epilepticus: Comparison of 200 and 400 mg Loading Doses.
The treatment of refractory status epilepticus (RSE) remains largely empirical. Lacosamide (LCM) is a new anticonvulsant available in intravenous (IV) form, but its optimal dosing regimen for the treatment of RSE is unknown. We compared safety and efficacy of two loading doses: 200 and 400 mg. ⋯ In this small prospective observational study, an initial dose of 400 mg of IV LCM was associated with a higher proportion of early termination of RSE and with a trend toward a higher response rate.
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Observational Study
Heart Rate Variability for Preclinical Detection of Secondary Complications After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
We sought to determine if monitoring heart rate variability (HRV) would enable preclinical detection of secondary complications after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ Changes in HRV after SAH reflect both delayed ischemic and infectious complications. Incorporation of concurrent disease severity measures substantially improves prediction compared to using HRV alone. Further research is needed to refine and prospectively evaluate real-time bedside HRV monitoring after SAH.