Respiratory physiotherapy as a tool to allow and optimize lung donation.

Lung donation is complex and sometimes the secretion retention makes it impossible. We report a case of a patient that was screened as potential lung donor with PaO2/FiO2 ratio below range. As in viable patients, the respiratory physiotherapist applied a ventilator-based group of techniques with removal of huge amount of secretions and consequent increase in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio that allowed the inclusion of the patient as potentially lung donor.

Patients awaiting surgery for neurosurgical diseases during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: The large number of infected patients requiring mechanical ventilation has led to the postponement of scheduled neurosurgical procedures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were to investigate the factors that influence the decision to postpone scheduled neurosurgical procedures and to evaluate the effect of the restriction in scheduled surgery adopted to deal with the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain on the outcome of patients awaiting surgery.

Design: This was an observational retrospective study.

Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Associated with Developing On-State Axial Symptoms Early after Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation.

Background: The relationship between axial symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is still unclear. Purpose: We searched for particular clinical characteristics before STN-DBS linked to on-state axial problems after surgery. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed baseline motor, emotional and cognitive features from PD patients with early axial symptoms (within 4 years after STN-DBS) and late axial symptoms (after 4 years).

Rapid chest compression effects on intracranial pressure in patients with acute cerebral injury.

Background: Patients with acute brain injury often require invasive mechanical ventilation, increasing the risk of developing complications such as respiratory secretions retention. Rapid chest compression is a manual chest physiotherapy technique that aims to improve clearance of secretions in these patients. However, the rapid chest compression technique has been suggested to be associated with increased intracranial pressure in patients with acute brain injury.

Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients: a nationwide study in Spain.

Objective: To assess the effect of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the outcome of neurosurgical patients in Spain.

Settings: The initial flood of COVID-19 patients overwhelmed an unprepared healthcare system. Different measures were taken to deal with this overburden.