Assessing Patients With Altered Level of Consciousness.

Patients with alterations in level of consciousness are among the most difficult to assess, so knowledge of how to assess these patients is important for tracking trends and identifying changes. This article discusses methods used to assess patients admitted with an altered level of consciousness and describes the neurological assessment of and potential causes for altered level of consciousness. Identifying and understanding certain examination findings enable faster recognition and intervention for life-threatening neurological events, directly impacting outcomes for neurologically compromised individuals.

The Implementation of Targeted Temperature Management: An Evidence-Based Guideline from the Neurocritical Care Society.

Background: Targeted temperature management (TTM) is often used in neurocritical care to minimize secondary neurologic injury and improve outcomes. TTM encompasses therapeutic hypothermia, controlled normothermia, and treatment of fever. TTM is best supported by evidence from neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, although it has also been explored in ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, and intracranial hemorrhage patients.