Postoperative complications after craniotomy for brain tumor surgery.

Introduction: After elective craniotomy for brain tumour surgery, patients are usually admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring. Our goal was to evaluate the incidence and timing of neurologic and non-neurologic postoperative complications after brain tumour surgery, to determine factors associated with neurologic events and to evaluate the timing and causes of ICU readmission.

Patients And Methods: This prospective, observational and analytic study enrolled 188 patients admitted to the ICU after brain tumour surgery.

[Use of barbiturates in posttraumatic comas at the mesencephalic level. Apropos of 38 cases].

Thirty-eight patients with brain injury and mesencephalic coma, or a Glasgow score of less than 5, were treated routinely with Thiopental administered by electric syringe for a mean duration of 4 days. Follow up review criteria were based on clinical computed tomography and electroencephalographic data, as well as results of monitoring of intracranial pressure and assay of blood barbiturate levels. Global results indicated a mortality of 55.