The Pupillary Light-Off Reflex in Acute Disorders of Consciousness.

Background: In intensive care patients with disorders of consciousness, the pupillary light reflex is a measure of pupillary parasympathetic function. By contrast, the pupillary light-off reflex leads to pupil dilation in response to an abrupt change from light to darkness ("light-off") and reflects combined parasympathetic and sympathetic pupillary function. To our knowledge, this reflex has not been systematically investigated in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Arterial Spin Labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Acute Disorders of Consciousness in the Intensive Care Unit.

Background: To investigate patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) for residual awareness, guidelines recommend quantifying glucose brain metabolism using positron emission tomography. However, this is not feasible in the intensive care unit (ICU). Cerebral blood flow (CBF) assessed by arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) could serve as a proxy for brain metabolism and reflect consciousness levels in acute DoC.

Empiric treatment of healthcare-associated central nervous system infections in Denmark: do we need carbapenems?

Background: Carbapenems are widely used for empiric treatment of healthcare-associated central nervous system (CNS) infections. We investigated the feasibility of a carbapenem-sparing strategy, utilising a third-generation cephalosporin (ceftriaxone or cefotaxime) (combined with vancomycin) for the empirical treatment of healthcare-associated CNS infections in Eastern Denmark.

Methods: The departments of neurosurgery and neuro-intensive care at Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet.

Multimodal Prediction of 3- and 12-Month Outcomes in ICU Patients with Acute Disorders of Consciousness.

Background: In intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coma and other disorders of consciousness (DoC), outcome prediction is key to decision-making regarding prognostication, neurorehabilitation, and management of family expectations. Current prediction algorithms are largely based on chronic DoC, whereas multimodal data from acute DoC are scarce. Therefore, the Consciousness in Neurocritical Care Cohort Study Using Electroencephalography and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (i.

Thromboembolic and bleeding events in ICU patients with COVID-19: A nationwide, observational study.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have an increased risk of thromboembolic complications. We describe the occurrence of thromboembolic and bleeding events in all ICU patients with COVID-19 in Denmark during the first and second waves of the pandemic.

Methods: This was a sub-study of the Danish Intensive Care Covid database, in which all patients with SARS-CoV-2 admitted to Danish ICUs from 10th March 2020 to 30th June 2021 were included.

Multimodal prediction of residual consciousness in the intensive care unit: the CONNECT-ME study.

Functional MRI (fMRI) and EEG may reveal residual consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC), as reflected by a rapidly expanding literature on chronic DoC. However, acute DoC is rarely investigated, although identifying residual consciousness is key to clinical decision-making in the intensive care unit (ICU). Therefore, the objective of the prospective, observational, tertiary centre cohort, diagnostic phase IIb study 'Consciousness in neurocritical care cohort study using EEG and fMRI' (CONNECT-ME, NCT02644265) was to assess the accuracy of fMRI and EEG to identify residual consciousness in acute DoC in the ICU.

COVID-19 versus influenza A/B supeRInfectionS in the IntenSive care unit (CRISIS): Protocol for a Danish nationwide cohort study.

Background: Superinfection following viral infection is a known complication, which may lead to longer hospitalisation and worse outcome. Empirical antibiotic therapy may prevent bacterial superinfections, but may also lead to overuse, adverse effects and development of resistant pathogens. Knowledge about the incidence of superinfections in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited.

Training non-intensivist doctors to work with COVID-19 patients in intensive care units.

Background: Due to an expected surge of COVID-19 patients in need of mechanical ventilation, the intensive care capacity was doubled at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, in March 2020. This resulted in an urgent need for doctors with competence in working with critically ill COVID-19 patients. A training course and a theoretical test for non-intensivist doctors were developed.

Central and peripheral nervous system complications of COVID-19: a prospective tertiary center cohort with 3-month follow-up.

Objective: To systematically describe central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous system complications in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, consecutive, observational study of adult patients from a tertiary referral center with confirmed COVID-19. All patients were screened daily for neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms during admission and discharge.

No effect of the angiotensin receptor blocker candesartan on cerebrovascular autoregulation in rats during very high and low sodium intake.

Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) denotes that CBF is constant despite fluctuation of blood pressure within wide limits. Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is known to decrease the lower and upper limits of CBF autoregulation. We have previously shown that this includes inhibition by the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) candesartan.

Bradykinin antagonist counteracts the acute effect of both angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and of angiotensin receptor blockade on the lower limit of autoregulation of cerebral blood flow.

The lower limit of autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) can be modulated with both angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB). The influence of bradykinin antagonism on ARB-induced changes was the subject of this study. CBF was measured in Sprague-Dawley rats with laser Doppler technique.