Endovascular revascularization for basilar artery occlusion.

Basilar artery occlusion is one of the most devastating neurological conditions known to man. Though rare, patients with clinical syndromes localized to this anatomical region are often referred to acute stroke and endovascular units. Recent studies evaluating the efficacy of endovascular approaches to stroke have focused on anterior circulation syndromes.

Patient Preferences and Surrogate Decision Making in Neuroscience Intensive Care Units.

In the neuroscience intensive care unit (NICU), most patients lack the capacity to make their own preferences known. This fact leads to situations where surrogate decision makers must fill the role of the patient in terms of making preference-based treatment decisions, oftentimes in challenging situations where prognosis is uncertain. The neurointensivist has a large responsibility and role to play in this shared decision-making process.

TURN: A Simple Predictor of Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage After IV Thrombolysis.

Background: IV Thrombolysis (rt-PA) for ischemic stroke treatment carries a substantial risk for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Our purpose was to develop a computationally simple and accurate sICH predictor METHODS : Our derivation dataset consisted of 210 ischemic stroke patients receiving IV rt-PA from January 2009 until July 2013 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Our validation dataset included 303 patients who received IV rt-PA during the NINDS rt-PA trial.

Measurement of perihematomal edema in intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Perihematomal edema (PHE) is a marker of secondary injury in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). PHE measurement on computed tomography (CT) is challenging, and the principles used to detect PHE have not been described fully. We developed a systematic approach for CT-based measurement of PHE.

Cohort-Based Identification of Predictors of Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage After IV Thrombolysis.

Introduction: Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) is a serious complication of IV rt-PA therapy after acute ischemic stroke. Independent sICH predictors have been previously derived using case-control studies. Here we utilized a novel cohort-based comparison to identify additional independent predictors of sICH.

Hybrid closure of atrial septal defect: A modified approach.

A 3.5-year-old girl underwent transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus in early infancy during which time her secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) was left alone. When she came for elective closure of ASD, she was found to have bilaterally blocked femoral veins.

Drip and ship thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke: use, temporal trends, and outcomes.

Background And Purpose: Interhospital transfer after use of intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute stroke (drip and ship) is increasingly frequent. Small studies have suggested that drip and ship tPA is safe and increases rates of tPA use; however, little is known about real-world practice patterns. We sought to evaluate temporal trends in drip and ship tPA use and to compare the patient and hospital characteristics with that of conventional (front door) thrombolysis.

Management of acute spinal cord injury.

Purpose Of Review: This article provides an overview of acute spinal cord injury with an emphasis on practical issues regarding initial evaluation and management. Spinal cord injury continues to be a devastating neurologic injury and a significant public health burden, both in terms of patient morbidity as well as societal costs. Optimal management is highly dependent on a strong multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative approach.

Targeting secondary injury in intracerebral haemorrhage--perihaematomal oedema.

Perihaematomal oedema (PHO) is an important pathophysiological marker of secondary injury in intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). In this Review, we describe a novel method to conceptualize PHO formation within the framework of Starling's principle of movement of fluid across a capillary wall. We consider progression of PHO through three stages, characterized by ionic oedema (stage 1) and progressive vasogenic oedema (stages 2 and 3).

Decompressive craniectomy in neurocritical care.

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) involves the removal of a portion of the skull in the setting of life threatening brain edema or potentially uncontrollable intracranial pressures. Often performed on an emergent basis, evaluation and arrangement for DC should be swift and decisive. However, the evidence base for DC in the wide range of conditions for which it is currently performed is still developing.

Evidence-based guidelines for the management of large hemispheric infarction : a statement for health care professionals from the Neurocritical Care Society and the German Society for Neuro-intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.

Large hemispheric infarction (LHI), also known as malignant middle cerebral infarction, is a devastating disease associated with significant disability and mortality. Clinicians and family members are often faced with a paucity of high quality clinical data as they attempt to determine the most appropriate course of treatment for patients with LHI, and current stroke guidelines do not provide a detailed approach regarding the day-to-day management of these complicated patients. To address this need, the Neurocritical Care Society organized an international multidisciplinary consensus conference on the critical care management of LHI.

Modest association between the discharge modified Rankin Scale score and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis.

Background: Thirty- and 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores are used to monitor adverse outcome or symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) in ischemic stroke patients after intravenous (IV) thrombolytic therapy. Discharge mRS scores are more readily available and could serve as a proxy for 30- or 90-day mRS data. Our goal was to evaluate agreement between the discharge mRS score and sICH.

Brain edema predicts outcome after nonlacunar ischemic stroke.

Background And Purpose: In malignant infarction, brain edema leads to secondary neurological deterioration and poor outcome. We sought to determine whether swelling is associated with outcome in smaller volume strokes.

Methods: Two research cohorts of acute stroke subjects with serial brain MRI were analyzed.

Hybrid procedure.

With increase in aging population and increased prevalance of coronary risk factors including diabetes mellitus, more people with multivessel coronary artery disease are diagnosed. Many of these patients undergo coronary angioplasty or bypass graft surgery (CABG). Hybrid coronary revascularisation may be preferred in multivessel CAD patients with technical limitations to PCI or CABG and in whom minimising invasiveness of CABG is preferred.

Comparison of 8 scores for predicting symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after IV thrombolysis.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage is a feared complication of IV thrombolytic (rt-PA) therapy. In recent years, at least 8 clinical scores have been proposed to predict either adverse outcome or symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) in patients undergoing rt-PA therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of these 8 scores to predict sICH in an independent clinical dataset.

Adherence to Third European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study 3- to 4.5-hour exclusions and association with outcome: data from Get with the Guidelines-Stroke.

Background And Purpose: The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines recommend intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment 3 to 4.5 hours from symptom onset according to criteria used in the Third European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS III). However, ECASS III excluded certain patient groups in addition to the standard exclusions used for 0 to 3 hours in the United States: age >80 years, history of stroke and diabetes mellitus, oral anticoagulant treatment, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >25.

Posttreatment variables improve outcome prediction after intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke.

Background: There are multiple clinical and radiographic factors that influence outcomes after endovascular reperfusion therapy (ERT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We sought to derive and validate an outcome prediction score for AIS patients undergoing ERT based on readily available pretreatment and posttreatment factors.

Methods: The derivation cohort included 511 patients with anterior circulation AIS treated with ERT at 10 centers between September 2009 and July 2011.

Palliative and end-of-life care in stroke: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this statement is to delineate basic expectations regarding primary palliative care competencies and skills to be considered, learned, and practiced by providers and healthcare services across hospitals and community settings when caring for patients and families with stroke.

Methods: Members of the writing group were appointed by the American Heart Association Stroke Council's Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association's Manuscript Oversight Committee. Members were chosen to reflect the diversity and expertise of professional roles in delivering optimal palliative care.

Exploratory analysis of glyburide as a novel therapy for preventing brain swelling.

Background: Malignant infarction is characterized by the formation of cerebral edema, and medical treatment is limited. Preclinical data suggest that glyburide, an inhibitor of SUR1-TRPM4, is effective in preventing edema. We previously reported feasibility of the GAMES-Pilot study, a two-center prospective, open label, phase IIa trial of 10 subjects at high risk for malignant infarction based on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) threshold of 82 cm(3) treated with RP-1127 (glyburide for injection).

Defining new directions for more effective management of surgical pain in the United States: highlights of the inaugural Surgical Pain Congress™.

Despite advances in pharmacologic options for the management of surgical pain, there appears to have been little or no overall improvement over the last two decades in the level of pain experienced by patients. The importance of adequate and effective surgical pain management, however, is clear, because inadequate pain control 1) has a wide range of undesirable physiologic and immunologic effects; 2) is associated with poor surgical outcomes; 3) has increased probability of readmission; and 4) adversely affects the overall cost of care as well as patient satisfaction. There is a clear unmet need for a national surgical pain management consensus task force to raise awareness and develop best practice guidelines for improving surgical pain management, patient safety, patient satisfaction, rapid postsurgical recovery, and health economic outcomes.