Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2014
ReviewTranscranial Doppler after traumatic brain injury: is there a role?
To present the practical aspects of transcranial Doppler (TCD) and provide evidence supporting its use for the management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. ⋯ The diagnostic value of TCD should be incorporated into other findings from multimodal brain monitoring and CT scan to optimize the bedside management of patients with TBI and help guide the choice of appropriate therapies.
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The care of critically ill brain-injured patients is complex and requires careful balancing of cerebral and systemic treatment priorities. A growing number of studies have reported improved outcomes when patients are admitted to dedicated neurocritical care units (NCCUs). The reasons for this observation have not been definitively clarified. ⋯ Neurocritical care is an evolving field that is associated with improvements in outcomes over the past decade. Further research is required to determine how monitoring and treatment protocols can be optimized.
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Energy metabolism is increasingly recognized as a key factor in the pathogenesis of acute brain injury (ABI). We review the role of cerebral lactate metabolism and summarize evidence showing that lactate may act as supplemental fuel after ABI. ⋯ Lactate can be a supplemental fuel for the injured brain and is important to regulate glucose metabolism and CBF. Exogenous lactate supplementation may be neuroprotective after experimental ABI. Recent clinical data from ABI patients suggest hypertonic lactate solutions may be a valid therapeutic option for secondary energy dysfunction and elevated ICP.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Apr 2014
ReviewIsolated abdominal trauma: diagnosis and clinical management considerations.
The scope of the present study is to review the topics of initial assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of an isolated abdominal trauma. ⋯ Abdominal trauma is a complex injury; the multidisciplinary approach has made nonoperative management feasible and effective. When surgical intervention is needed, it should be performed in an orderly fashion, within the context of the overall management.