This study, recently published in JAMA, revealed no beneficial effect from hypothermia as an adjunct to decompressive hemicraniectomy in the setting of middle cerebral artery stroke. In fact, the authors’ findings even suggest harm. Find the article here.
Hermanides and colleagues recently reviewed all available evidence on blood glucose targets in the TBI patient. Read their finding in this article in Critical Care. When comparing strict glycaemic regimens with more liberal strategies they found no significant differences in patient-important outcomes, contrary to earlier findings. They did reveal an increased risk of hypoglycaemia, however.… Continue reading Glycaemic Control Targets After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Blunt cerebrovascular injury is a relatively common finding in the traumatised patient and poses a number of clinical challenges. A Scandinavian group recently issued best practice guidelines for management of these injuries. You can find the article (free full-text) by Brommeland et al here.
This well-written article in Intensive Care Medicine nicely highlights the importance, and complexities, of the interaction between the brain and other organ systems in the setting of acute injury.
A very worthwhile excerpt on TBI from the Cambridge Handbook of Clinical Neurology, written by Menon and Ercole. Summarises current thinking on neurointensive care of TBI patients. Read it here.
These guidelines were updated in 2018 and can be found here. Of special interest is the reversal of the recommendation to avoid general anaesthesia for thrombectomy in stroke, in view of newer data. The choice of conscious sedation versus GA should be individualised and are both approaches are acceptable, according to the revised guidelines. More on… Continue reading AHA/ASA Guidelines for Early Management of Patients with Acute Ischaemic Stroke
POLAR RCT is probably the most anticipated neurotrauma trial of the year and its findings were finally presented at this year’s ESICM congress in Paris. Before I comment on what POLAR RCT is all about, it’s worth taking some time to consider what this trial is NOT about. It does not deal specifically with TBI… Continue reading POLAR RCT – Don’t Worry, Thermoregulation Isn’t Dead Quite Yet
Lactate is well-known as an important energy substrate for brain tissue and plays a key role in neuroenergetics. Experimental data have shown that exogenous lactate administration may improve metabolism in injured brain cells, and possibly has neuroprotective properties. Till now there has been a paucity of human clinical studies on this subject. Carteron et al… Continue reading Lactate Improves Cerebral Perfusion After Acute Brain Injury – Recent Clinical Trial in Crit Care Med
It’s been a lazy summer on our part, so it’s time to get back to business. And we’ll start off with this article by Moustafa et al, which was recently published in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. The authors deal with the issue of predicting risk of intracranial haemorrhage in TBI patients… Continue reading Predictive Factors of Traumatic Intracranial Haemorrhage in Patients on Anti-platelet Agents
I came across this useful little review in Kidney International Reports covering a subject I always find difficult to grasp: sodium disturbances and their influence on the brain. The article delves into the matter in a concise and understandable way, making it just about manageable even for an anaesthetist.
neuroscand.com 