Red Blood Cell Transfusion Guided by Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Neurocritically Ill Patients with Moderate or Severe Anemia: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

In neurocritically ill patients (NCPs), the use of hemoglobin level as the sole indicator for red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) can result in under- or over-transfusion. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to ascertain whether a transcranial oxygen saturation (rSO) threshold, as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy, reduces RBCT requirements in anemic NCPs (closed traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid, or intracerebral hemorrhage), compared with a hemoglobin threshold alone. Patients with hemoglobin 70-100 g/L received RBCTs to attain an rSO > 60% (rSO arm) or to maintain hemoglobin between 85 and 100 g/L (hemoglobin arm).

[Hyperammonemic encephalopathy: nutritional assessment and management of a case].

OTC deficiency is a disorder of the urea cycle X-linked. It is manifested in men as severe hyperammonemia in the first days of life. In women the disease is milder severity.

[Emergency transcranial doppler ultrasound: predictive value for the development of symptomatic vasospasm in spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage in patients in good neurological condition].

Purpose: To examine the predictive value of an early transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) study performed in the emergency department in patients with spontaneous subarachoniod hemorrhage (SAH) in good neurological condition, in order to know which patients are at high risk of developing delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI).

Design: A descriptive observational study was carried out involving a period of 3 years.

Setting: Critical Care and Emergency Department.

Gender influences cerebral oxygenation after red blood cell transfusion in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: Important differences with respect to gender exist in the prognosis and mortality of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. The objective of this study was to assess the role of gender as an independent factor in cerebral oxygenation variations following red blood cell transfusion (RBCT).

Methods: This retrospective analysis of a prospective study was conducted on patients with severe TBI.

Invasive and noninvasive assessment of cerebral oxygenation in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between invasive brain tissue oxygen pressure (PbrO(2)) and noninvasive regional transcranial oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) in 22 stable patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a 16 h period.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational study carried out in the Neurocritical Care Unit of a level 1 trauma center in a teaching hospital. A total of 41,809 paired records for neuromonitoring variables were analyzed and compared.