Non-traumatic Chronic Subdural Hematoma With Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Case Report.

Spontaneous chronic subdural hematoma is a rare condition that appears in association with myelodysplastic syndrome. A 25-year-old male with a known case of myelodysplastic syndrome presented to the emergency department with a headache and loss of consciousness. Considering ongoing chemotherapy, burr hole trephination of the chronic subdural hematoma was performed, and he was discharged following a successful procedure.

Isolated sixth nerve palsy as the first manifestation of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia constitutes one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Preeclampsia-related neurological disorders are well-established and associated with a broad spectrum of manifestations, including headaches, visual symptoms like blurred vision, photopsia, field defects, and other major clinical events. However, cranial nerve disorders are rare in preeclampsia, which is inadequately researched.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Current Treatment and Future Options.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disease involving the cardiac sarcomere. It is associated with various disease-causing gene mutations and phenotypic expressions, managed with different therapies with variable prognoses. The heterogeneity of the disease is evident in the fact that it burdens patients of all ages.

The Benefits of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Programs and Their Application in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The perioperative care of the surgical patient is undergoing a paradigm shift. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs are becoming the standard of care and best practice in many surgical specialties throughout the world. ERAS is a multimodal, multidisciplinary, evidence-based approach to care of the surgical patient that aims to optimize perioperative management and outcomes.

An indicator cell assay for blood-based diagnostics.

We have established proof of principle for the Indicator Cell Assay Platform™ (iCAP™), a broadly applicable tool for blood-based diagnostics that uses specifically-selected, standardized cells as biosensors, relying on their innate ability to integrate and respond to diverse signals present in patients' blood. To develop an assay, indicator cells are exposed in vitro to serum from case or control subjects and their global differential response patterns are used to train reliable, disease classifiers based on a small number of features. In a feasibility study, the iCAP detected pre-symptomatic disease in a murine model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with 94% accuracy (p-Value = 3.

Imaging of Spinal Cord Disorders.

Purpose Of Review: Spinal cord disorders are common and can be caused by a myriad of pathologies. Confidently interpreting spine imaging studies is an essential skill for neurologists as many spinal cord disorders can produce significant disability if not diagnosed and treated correctly.

Recent Findings: Advances in imaging have revolutionized the care of patients with spinal cord disorders by allowing noninvasive visualization of normal and abnormal structures.

Elevated Stroke Risk Associated With Femoral Artery Cannulation During Mitral Valve Surgery.

Minimally invasive mitral valve (MV) surgery, often requiring femoral artery (FA) cannulation, is increasingly being adopted. There is concern about increased stroke rates associated with minimally invasive MV surgery. This study aims to examine whether FA cannulation is independently associated with increased stroke rates in minimally invasive MV procedures.

Is acute reperfusion therapy safe in acute ischemic stroke patients who harbor unruptured intracranial aneurysm?

Background: Intracranial aneurysms are currently considered as contraindication for intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke, very likely due to a possible increase in the risk of bleeding from aneurysm rupture; however, there is limited data available on whether intravenous thrombolysis is safe for acute ischemic stroke patients with pre-existing intracranial aneurysms.

Aims And/or Hypothesis: To find out the safety of intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke patients who harbor unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and cerebrovascular images of all the patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke in our center from the beginning of 2006 till the end of April 2014.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome secondary to blood transfusion.

The appearance of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) after blood transfusion is rare and has only been reported in three patients to our knowledge. We report a fourth patient with PRES secondary to blood transfusion. A 36-year-old woman with a history of menorrhagia presented to the emergency department with severe fatigue.

Comparative accuracy of two- and three-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in identifying mitral valve pathology in patients undergoing mitral valve repair: initial observations.

Background: Identification of mitral regurgitation (MR) mechanism and pathology are crucial for surgical repair. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the comparative accuracy of real-time three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with two-dimensional (2D) TEE and TTE in diagnosing the mechanism of MR compared with the surgical standard.

Methods: Forty patients referred for surgical mitral valve repair were studied; 2D and 3D echocardiography with both TTE and TEE were performed preoperatively.

Validation of fentanyl pharmacokinetics in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Purpose: The current emphasis on more rapid recovery and earlier tracheal extubation after cardiac surgery requires greater precision in administering opioids to reap their benefits while minimizing the duration of postoperative respiratory depression. Therefore, we aimed to define a pharmacokinetic model that accurately predicts fentanyl concentrations before, during, and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: Parameters for two-compartment and three-compartment models were estimated by applying population pharmacokinetic modelling to fentanyl concentration vs time data measured in 29 patients undergoing elective, primary CABG.