The ability of two scoring systems to predict in-hospital mortality of patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries in a Moroccan intensive care unit.

Aim Of Study: We aim to assess and to compare the predicting power for in-hospital mortality (IHM) of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS-II) for traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted during a period of 2 years and 9 months in a Moroccan intensive care unit. Data were collected during the first 24 h of each admission.

Severe envenomation by Cerastes cerastes viper: an unusual mechanism of acute ischemic stroke.

Cerebral complications after snake bites--particularly ischemic complications--are rare. Very few cases of cerebral infarction resulting from a viper bite have been reported, and we call attention to this uncommon etiology. We discuss 3 authenticated reports of acute ischemic cerebrovascular accidents after 3 typical severe envenomations by Cerastes cerastes vipers.