Nimodipine in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Are Old Data Enough to Justify Its Current Treatment Regimen?

Nimodipine, a dihydropyridine L-type calcium channel antagonist, constitutes one of the mainstays of care to prevent delayed cerebral ischemia in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) because it has been associated with a reduction in infarction rates and improvement in functional outcomes despite not significantly preventing angiographic vasospasm. Although it is a widely accepted treatment, controversies surrounding the current regimen of nimodipine in patients with aSAH exist. Still, there is a wide space open for randomized controlled trials or alternative study designs comparing different routes of administration, dosing, and timing of nimodipine treatment regimen in patients with aSAH.

Resuscitation and Initial Management After Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Questions for the On-Call Shift.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and mortality globally, stemming from both primary mechanical injuries and subsequent secondary responses. Effective early management of moderate-to-severe TBI is essential to prevent secondary damage and improve patient outcomes. This review provides a comprehensive guide for the resuscitation and stabilization of TBI patients, combining clinical experience with current evidence-based guidelines.

Inflammasome Proteins Are Reliable Biomarkers of the Inflammatory Response in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is caused by abnormal blood vessel dilation and subsequent rupture, resulting in blood pooling in the subarachnoid space. This neurological insult results in the activation of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that processes pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1 cytokines leading to morbidity and mortality. Moreover, increases in inflammasome proteins are associated with clinical deterioration in many neurological diseases.

External validation of the Glasgow Coma Scale-Pupils in patients with severe head injury.

Objectives: To compare the ability of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the GCS Pupils (GCS-P) score, and the Pupil Reactivity Score (PRS) to predict mortality in patients with severe head injury.

Material And Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients with severe head injury and initial GCS scores of 8 or lower on initial evaluation for whom records included pupil dilation information and clinical course after admission to intensive care units of participating hospitals. We assessed the ability of each of the 3 scores (GCS, GCS-P, and PRS) to predict mortality using discrimination analysis.

Correlation between Thyroid Responses and Inflammatory Cytokines in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients.

Mechanisms involved in thyroid dysfunction in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are not clear. Our objective was to correlate the thyroid response with the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines profile in critically ill COVID-19 patients. This was a prospective single-center study.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Acute Kidney Injury-Outcomes and Associated Risk Factors.

Our objective was to analyze the contribution of acute kidney injury (AKI) to the mortality of isolated TBI patients and its associated risk factors. Observational, prospective and multicenter registry (RETRAUCI) methods were used, from March 2015 to December 2019. Isolated TBI was defined as abbreviated injury scale (AIS) ≥ 3 head with no additional score ≥ 3.

Inflammatory Biomarkers of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a complex pathology in which the initial injury releases damage associated proteins that exacerbate the neuroinflammatory response during the chronic secondary injury period. One of the major pathological players in the inflammatory response after TBI is the inflammasome. Increased levels of inflammasome proteins during the acute phase after TBI are associated with worse functional outcomes.

Risk Factors Associated with Mortality in Severe Chest Trauma Patients Admitted to the ICU.

Our objective was to determine outcomes of severe chest trauma admitted to the ICU and the risk factors associated with mortality. An observational, prospective, and multicenter registry of trauma patients admitted to the participating ICUs (March 2015-December 2019) was utilized to collect the patient data that were analyzed. Severe chest trauma was defined as an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) value of ≥3 in the thoracic area.

Thyroid Disfunction in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients. Relationship with In-Hospital Mortality.

The incidence of thyroid disfunction has not been analyzed in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Our objective was to analyze the relationship of the thyroid profile and in-hospital mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. This was a prospective single-center study involving critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU of a tertiary University Hospital.

Optimized detection of lung IL-6 enzymatic liquefaction of low respiratory tract samples: application for managing ventilated patients.

Lung IL-6 is a promising biomarker for predicting respiratory failure during pulmonary infections. This biomarker is found in respiratory samples which need to be liquefied prior to analysis. Traditional liquefying methods use reducing agents such as dithiothreitol (DTT).

Serum Caspase-1 as an Independent Prognostic Factor in Traumatic Brain Injured Patients.

Background: The objectives of this study were to assess the association between serum caspase 1 levels and known clinical and radiological prognostic factors and determine whether caspase 1was a more powerful predictor of outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI) than clinical indices alone, to determine the association between the serum levels of caspase 1 and the 6-month outcome, and to evaluate if there is any association between caspase 1 with clinical and radiological variables.

Methods: This prospective and observational study was conducted in a university hospital and included patients with TBI who required hospital admission. Serum samples were collected at hospital admission and 24 h after TBI.

Use of diffusion tensor imaging to assess the vasogenic edema in traumatic pericontusional tissue.

Background And Objective: Cerebral edema is a frequent and serious complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is considered a useful technique to assess white matter integrity after TBI. The objective of this prospective, observational study was to assess the characteristics of the vasogenic edema in the traumatic pericontusional tissue and compare it to the vasogenic edema found in brain tumors.

Factors associated with death due to trauma in patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3 and bilateral fixed dilated pupils.

Objectives: To compare patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3 stratified according to pupillary reaction and to explore factors associated with in-hospital death in those with bilateral fixed dilated pupils.

Material And Methods: Prospective, observational, multicenter study. We included all patients with trauma and GCS scores of 3 admitted to the intensive care unit from March 2015 to December 2019.

Dexamethasone for the treatment of traumatic brain injured patients with brain contusions and pericontusional edema: Study protocol for a prospective, randomized and double blind trial.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) constitutes a leading cause of death and disability. Patients with TBI and cerebral contusions developing pericontusional edema are occasionally given dexamethasone on the belief that this edema is similar to that of tumors, in which the beneficial effect of dexamethasone has been demonstrated.

Methods: The DEXCON TBI trial is a multicenter, pragmatic, randomized, triple-blind, placebo controlled trial to quantify the effects of dexamethasone on the prognosis of TBI patients with brain contusions and pericontusional edema.

Effects of dexamethasone in traumatic brain injury patients with pericontusional vasogenic edema: A prospective-observational DTI-MRI study.

Cerebral edema is a frequent and serious complication in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. The objective is to study the effect of dexamethasone in patients with brain contusions, and to assess its effect on the vasogenic component of the pericontusional edema.Prospective-observational study to quantify, using magnetic resonance imaging, the volume of the edema before and after 10 days of dexamethasone in patients with brain contusions.

Diminished Consciousness in a Woman Following an Unsuspected Scopolamine Overdose.

Scopolamine is used clinically, but it is also used as a recreational drug and as an incapacitating drug, in sexual crimes and robberies. In this paper, the authors report the case of a woman with a diminished consciousness following an unsuspected overdose with scopolamine and review published articles on scopolamine poisoning that included concentrations in biological samples. Scopolamine was identified in the patient's serum and urine samples collected 1 h post-admission to intensive care unit at concentrations of 8.

Concomitant Traumatic Brain Injury and Hemorrhagic Shock: Outcomes Using the Spanish Trauma ICU Registry (RETRAUCI).

Background: To compare the main outcomes of trauma patients with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI), hemorrhagic shock, and the combination of both using data from the Spanish trauma intensive care unit (ICU) registry (RETRAUCI).

Methods: Patients admitted to the participating ICUs from March 2015 to May 2019 were included in the study. The main outcomes were analyzed according to the presence of TBI, hemorrhagic shock, and/or both.

Use of diffusion tensor imaging to assess the vasogenic edema in traumatic pericontusional tissue.

Background And Objective: Cerebral edema is a frequent and serious complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is considered a useful technique to assess white matter integrity after TBI. The objective of this prospective, observational study was to assess the characteristics of the vasogenic edema in the traumatic pericontusional tissue and compare it to the vasogenic edema found in brain tumors.