Systemic Inflammatory Changes in Spinal Cord Injured Patients after Adding Aquatic Therapy to Standard Physiotherapy Treatment.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe medical condition resulting in substantial physiological and functional consequences for the individual. People with SCI are characterised by a chronic, low-grade systemic inflammatory state, which contributes to further undesirable secondary injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding aquatic therapy to the standard physiotherapy treatment, implemented in two different schedules, on systemic inflammation in SCI patients.

Prospective Evaluation of a Modified Apnea Test in Brain Death Candidates that Does Not Require Disconnection from the Ventilator.

Background: The apnea test (AT) is an important component in the determination of brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) and often entails disconnecting the patient from the ventilator followed by tracheal oxygen insufflation to ensure adequate oxygenation. To rate the test as positive, most international guidelines state that a lack of spontaneous breathing must be demonstrated when the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO) ≥ 60 mm Hg. However, the loss of positive end-expiratory pressure that is associated with disconnection from the ventilator may cause rapid desaturation.

Brain death determination in patients with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: A systematic study to address the Harlequin syndrome.

Purpose: The Harlequin syndrome may occur in patients treated with venoarterial extracorporal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), in whom blood from the left ventricle and the ECMO system supply different parts of the body with different pCO-levels. The purpose of this study was to compare two variants of pCO-analysis to account for the Harlequin syndrome during apnea testing (AT) in brain death (BD) determination.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-seven patients (median age 48 years, 26-76 years; male n = 19) with VA-ECMO treatment were included who underwent BD determination.

Minimally invasive resection of a prominent transverse process in neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome: new application for a primarily spinal approach. Illustrative case.

Background: The optimal surgical approach to treat neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (nTOS) depends on the individual patient's anatomy as well as the surgeon's experience. The authors present a minimally invasive posterior approach for the resection of a prominent transverse process to reduce local muscular trauma.

Observations: A 19-year-old female presented with painful sensations in the right arm and severe fine-motor skill dysfunction in the right hand, each of which had been present for several years.

COmbination of Targeted temperature management and Thrombectomy after acute Ischemic Stroke (COTTIS): a pilot study.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a fast initiation of cooling to a target temperature of 35°C by means of transnasal cooling in patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO) undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT).

Methods: Patients with an LVO onset of <24 hour who had an indication for EVT were included in the study. Transnasal cooling (RhinoChill) was initiated immediately after the patient was intubated for EVT and continued until an oesophageal target temperature of 35°C was reached.