Incidence, risk factors and outcomes of seizures occurring after craniotomy for primary brain tumor resection.

Objective: To determine the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of early post-craniotomy seizures.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent craniotomy for primary brain tumor resection (2002-2011) and admitted postoperatively to the intensive care unit. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the occurrence of seizures within 7 days.

Mortality reduction after implementing a clinical practice guidelines-based management protocol for severe traumatic brain injury.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of implementing a clinical practice guidelines-based management protocol on the outcome of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: We carried out a pre-post guideline implementation study using previously collected data in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). All patients older than 12 years with severe TBI, defined as a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less, from March 1999 to January 2001 (control group) and from February 2001 to December 2006 (protocol group) were identified and included in this study.

Ventriculostomy-associated infections: incidence and risk factors.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of ventriculostomy-associated infections (VAI) and to examine the related risk factors.

Methods: Data on all consecutive patients with ventriculostomy catheters admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary care center over a 3-year period were identified from the ICU database and from medical records. VAI was documented using a preset definition.