Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-04-03DOI: 10.1007/s12028-025-02251-y
Ali Al-Salahat, Danielle B Dilsaver, Ali Bin Abdul Jabbar, Saif Bawaneh, Abhishek Singh, Evanthia Bernitsas
{"title":"Outcomes of Spinal Cord Infarction with Thrombolysis: A Nationwide Analysis.","authors":"Ali Al-Salahat, Danielle B Dilsaver, Ali Bin Abdul Jabbar, Saif Bawaneh, Abhishek Singh, Evanthia Bernitsas","doi":"10.1007/s12028-025-02251-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-025-02251-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"1102-1106"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137411/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143780639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1007/s12028-025-02265-6
Franziska Lieschke
{"title":"Response to Comment on \"Symptoms, Imaging Features, Treatment Decisions, and Outcomes of Patients with Top of the Basilar Artery Syndrome: Experiences from a Comprehensive Stroke Center\".","authors":"Franziska Lieschke","doi":"10.1007/s12028-025-02265-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-025-02265-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"1128-1129"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137445/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144045288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-10-30DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02147-3
Twisha Bhardwaj, Brian L Edlow, Michael J Young
{"title":"Ethically Translating Advanced Neurotechnologies for Disorders of Consciousness: A Survey of Clinicians' Perspectives.","authors":"Twisha Bhardwaj, Brian L Edlow, Michael J Young","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02147-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02147-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although evaluation of disorders of consciousness (DoC) following brain injury has traditionally relied on bedside behavioral examination, advances in neurotechnology have elucidated novel approaches to detecting and predicting recovery of consciousness. Professional society guidelines now recommend that clinicians integrate these neurotechnologies into clinical practice as part of multimodal evaluations for some patients with DoC but have not crafted concrete protocols for this translation. Little is known about the experiences and ethical perspectives held by key stakeholder groups around the clinical implementation of advanced neurotechnologies to detect and predict recovery of consciousness. Recognizing this knowledge gap, the Data-Driven Neuroethics for Consciousness Detection (DECODE) survey examined clinicians' perspectives on advanced neurotechnologies for DoC care, including access to and rates of adoption, perceived utility, facilitators and barriers to adoption in clinical settings, ethical considerations surrounding clinical implementation, and challenges encountered in ensuring care for patients with acute and prolonged DoC. Mixed-methods analysis including qualitative analysis, grounded theory methodology, and ethical analysis was employed to assess responses and key themes. Ninety-two clinicians consented to the survey. More than 70% believed that standard bedside behavioral examination is insufficient, and nearly 60% viewed advanced neurotechnologies as integral in optimal DoC evaluation. Training gaps and limited institutional infrastructure were identified as salient barriers to clinical implementation. Thematic analysis revealed concerns about the interpretation of results, impact on surrogates, and validity of test results. Ethical themes of prognostic uncertainty, nihilism, and access also permeated multiple domains. Considerations surrounding access, knowledge base, results interpretation, and communication with surrogates are cross-cutting ethical threads shaping the clinical translation of advanced neurotechnologies for DoC. These components represent opportunities for implementation science work focused on democratizing access to neurotechnologies, educating clinicians on the use of novel techniques and interpretation of results, conducting multisite validation studies, and standardizing approaches to communicating test results.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"757-771"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142546524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-11-12DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02142-8
Kun Guo, Guiyu Li, Zhiyong Quan, Yirong Wang, Junling Wang, Fei Kang, Jing Wang
{"title":"Extracerebral Normalization of <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET Imaging Combined with Behavioral CRS-R Scores Predict Recovery from Disorders of Consciousness.","authors":"Kun Guo, Guiyu Li, Zhiyong Quan, Yirong Wang, Junling Wang, Fei Kang, Jing Wang","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02142-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02142-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Identifying patients likely to regain consciousness early on is a challenge. The assessment of consciousness levels and the prediction of wakefulness probabilities are facilitated by <sup>18</sup>F-fluorodeoxyglucose (<sup>18</sup>F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). This study aimed to develop a prognostic model for predicting 1-year postinjury outcomes in prolonged disorders of consciousness (DoC) using <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET alongside clinical behavioral scores.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighty-seven patients with prolonged DoC newly diagnosed with behavioral Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores and <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) scans were included. PET images were normalized by the cerebellum and extracerebral tissue, respectively. Images were divided into training and independent test sets at a ratio of 5:1. Image-based classification was conducted using the DenseNet121 network, whereas tabular-based deep learning was employed to train depth features extracted from imaging models and behavioral CRS-R scores. The performance of the models was assessed and compared using the McNemar test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 87 patients with DoC who received routine treatments, 52 patients showed recovery of consciousness, whereas 35 did not. The classification of the standardized uptake value ratio by extracerebral tissue model demonstrated a higher specificity and lower sensitivity in predicting consciousness recovery than the classification of the standardized uptake value ratio by cerebellum model. With area under the curve values of 0.751 ± 0.093 and 0.412 ± 0.104 on the test sets, respectively, the difference is not statistically significant (P = 0.73). The combination of standardized uptake value ratio by extracerebral tissue and computed tomography depth features with behavioral CRS-R scores yielded the highest classification accuracy, with area under the curve values of 0.950 ± 0.027 and 0.933 ± 0.015 on the training and test sets, respectively, outperforming any individual mode.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this preliminary study, a multimodal prognostic model based on <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET extracerebral normalization and behavioral CRS-R scores facilitated the prediction of recovery in DoC.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"885-895"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142624758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Heart Rate Variability and Cerebral Autoregulation in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury with Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity Syndrome.","authors":"Małgorzata Burzyńska, Jowita Woźniak, Piotr Urbański, Jarosław Kędziora, Rafał Załuski, Waldemar Goździk, Agnieszka Uryga","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02149-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02149-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to transient changes in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning and development of paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) syndrome. Clinical manifestation of ANS disorders may be obscured by therapeutic interventions in TBI. This study aims to analyze ANS metrics and cerebral autoregulation in patients with PSH syndrome to determine their significance in early prognostication.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This single-center retrospective study investigated the relationship between changes in ANS metrics, cerebral autoregulation, and PSH syndrome. Arterial blood pressure and intracranial pressure signals were monitored for 5 days post TBI. ANS metrics included time and frequency domain heart rate variability (HRV) metrics. Cerebral autoregulation was assessed using the pressure reactivity index.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty-six patients with severe TBI (median age 33 [interquartile range 26-50] years) were analyzed, and PSH was confirmed in nine cases. Impairment of cerebral autoregulation was observed in 67% of patients with PSH and 72% without the syndrome. Patients with PSH had higher HRV in the low-frequency range (LF; 253 ± 178 vs. 176 ± 227 ms<sup>2</sup>; p = 0.035) and lower heart rates (HRs; 70 ± 7 vs. 78 ± 19 bpm; p = 0.027) compared to those without PSH. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that HR (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.73, p = 0.006) and HRV in the LF (AUC = 0.70, p = 0.009) are moderate predictors of PSH. In the multiple logistic regression model for PSH, diffuse axonal trauma (odds ratio (OR) = 10.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.70-68.98, p = 0.012) and HR (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.98, p = 0.021) were significant factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Elevated HRV in the LF and decreased HR may serve as early predictors of PSH syndrome development, particularly in patients with diffuse axonal trauma. Further research is needed to investigate the utility of the cerebral autoregulation-ANS relationship in PSH prognostication.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"864-877"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142546525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02148-2
Nathaniel B Rex, Carlin C Chuck, Hari G Dandapani, Helen Y Zhou, Thomas Y Yi, Scott A Collins, Harrison X Bai, Ani Eloyan, Richard N Jones, Jerrold L Boxerman, Timothy D Girard, Olga Boukrina, Michael E Reznik
{"title":"Neuroimaging Markers of Brain Reserve and Associations with Delirium in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage.","authors":"Nathaniel B Rex, Carlin C Chuck, Hari G Dandapani, Helen Y Zhou, Thomas Y Yi, Scott A Collins, Harrison X Bai, Ani Eloyan, Richard N Jones, Jerrold L Boxerman, Timothy D Girard, Olga Boukrina, Michael E Reznik","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02148-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02148-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Delirium occurs frequently in patients with stroke, but the role of preexisting neural substrates in delirium pathogenesis remains unclear. We sought to explore associations between acute and chronic neural substrates of delirium in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using data from a single-center ICH registry, we identified consecutive patients with acute nontraumatic ICH and available magnetic resonance imaging scans. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria were used to classify each patient as delirious or nondelirious during their hospitalization. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were processed and analyzed using semiautomated software, with volumetric measurement of acute ICH volume as well as white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) and gray and white matter volumes from the contralateral hemisphere. We tested associations between WMHV and incident delirium using multivariable regression models, and then determined the predictive accuracy of these neuroimaging models via area under the curve (AUC) analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 139 patients in our cohort (mean [standard deviation] age 67.3 [17.3] years, 53% male), 58 (42%) patients experienced delirium. In our primary analyses, WMHV was significantly associated with delirium after adjusting for ICH features (odds ratio 1.56 per 10 cm<sup>3</sup>, 95% confidence interval 1.13-2.13), and this association was strengthened after further adjustment for segmented brain volume in patients with high-resolution scans (odds ratio 1.89 per 10 cm<sup>3</sup>, 95% confidence interval 1.24-2.86). Neuroimaging-based models predicted delirium with high accuracy (AUC 0.81), especially in patients with Glasgow Coma Scale score > 13 (AUC 0.85) and smaller ICH (AUC 0.91).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Chronic white matter disease is independently associated with delirium in patients with acute ICH, and neuroimaging biomarkers may have utility in predicting delirium occurrence.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"911-919"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142676243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-01-07DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02194-w
Dag Ferner Netteland, Mads Aarhus, Else Charlotte Sandset, Angelika Sorteberg, Llewellyn Padayachy, Eirik Helseth, Reidar Brekken
{"title":"Real-Time Automated Measurements of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter for Noninvasive Assessment of Intracranial Pressure in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.","authors":"Dag Ferner Netteland, Mads Aarhus, Else Charlotte Sandset, Angelika Sorteberg, Llewellyn Padayachy, Eirik Helseth, Reidar Brekken","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02194-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02194-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a promising noninvasive parameter for intracranial pressure (ICP) assessment. However, in the setting of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), several previous studies have reported no association between ultrasonically measured ONSD and ICP. In this study, we evaluate ONSD in patients with aSAH using a novel method of automated real-time ultrasonographic measurements and explore whether factors such as having undergone surgery affects its association to ICP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We prospectively included adult patients with aSAH undergoing invasive ICP monitoring. ONSD was obtained using a prototype ultrasound machine with software for real-time automated measurements at the bedside. Correlation between ONSD and ICP was explored, and the ability of ONSD to discriminate dichotomized ICP was evaluated. Abovementioned analyses were performed for the whole cohort and repeated for subgroups by whether the basal cisterns had been surgically entered before ultrasound examination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-six ultrasound examinations were performed in 20 patients. There was a positive correlation between ONSD and ICP (R = 0.43; p = 0.03). In the subgroup where the basal cisterns had not been surgically entered before ultrasound examination, there was a stronger correlation (R = 0.55; p = 0.01), whereas no correlation was seen in the subgroup where the basal cisterns had been surgically entered (R = - 0.16; p = 0.70). ONSD displayed an ability to discriminate ICP dichotomized at ≥ 15 mm Hg (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.96). Subgroup analysis revealed a perfect discriminatory ability (AUC = 1, 95% CI 0.81-1) where the basal cisterns had not been surgically entered and no discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.47, 95% CI 0.16-0.84) where the basal cisterns had been surgically entered before ultrasound examination.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Automatically measured ONSD correlated well with ICP and displayed a perfect discriminatory ability in patients with aSAH in whom the basal cisterns had not been entered surgically before ultrasound examination, and may be a clinically valuable noninvasive marker of ICP in these patients. Caution should be exercised in using ONSD in patients in whom the basal cisterns have been entered surgically before ONSD measurements, as no association was observed in this subgroup.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"1043-1053"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142952392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-12-02DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02168-y
Erta Beqiri, Jeanette Tas, Marek Czosnyka, Ruud C R van Kaam, Joseph Donnelly, Roel H Haeren, Iwan C C van der Horst, Peter J Hutchinson, Sander M J van Kuijk, Annalisa L Liberti, David K Menon, Cornelia W E Hoedemaekers, Bart Depreitere, Geert Meyfroidt, Ari Ercole, Marcel J H Aries, Peter Smielewski
{"title":"Does Targeting CPP at CPPopt Actually Improve Cerebrovascular Reactivity? A Secondary Analysis of the COGiTATE Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Erta Beqiri, Jeanette Tas, Marek Czosnyka, Ruud C R van Kaam, Joseph Donnelly, Roel H Haeren, Iwan C C van der Horst, Peter J Hutchinson, Sander M J van Kuijk, Annalisa L Liberti, David K Menon, Cornelia W E Hoedemaekers, Bart Depreitere, Geert Meyfroidt, Ari Ercole, Marcel J H Aries, Peter Smielewski","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02168-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02168-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The 'CPPopt-Guided Therapy: Assessment of Target Effectiveness' (COGiTATE) randomised controlled trial demonstrated the feasibility and safety of targeting an automated cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) tailored to optimize cerebrovascular autoregulation (CPPopt) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring intracranial pressure management. The average values of the autoregulation index known as the pressure reactivity index (PRx) were not different between the intervention (CPP target = CPPopt) and control (CPP target = 60-70 mmHg) groups of the trial. This secondary analysis was performed to investigate whether: (1) in the intervention group, PRx was closer to PRxopt (PRx at CPPopt) values, indicating a more preserved reactivity, as opposed to in the control group; (2) in the intervention group, patients experienced lower hourly PRx when CPP was close to the CPPopt-based target.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from the 28 and 32 patients randomized to the control and intervention groups of the COGiTATE study, respectively. We compared hourly averaged ΔPRx (PRx minus PRxopt, where PRxopt is PRx at CPPopt) between the two groups, focusing on periods of globally preserved/homogeneous autoregulation (negative PRxopt). For each patient in the intervention group, PRx values in periods when ΔCPP (CPP minus CPPopt target) was between -5 and + 5 mm Hg were compared to values in periods when ΔCPP was outside this range.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median ΔPRx was significantly lower in the intervention group for negative PRxopt (Mann-Whitney U-test, p < 0.001). For each patient in this group, the median PRx was lower in periods when CPP was close to the CPPopt-based target (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite no statistically significant difference in the grand mean PRx, our results suggest that targeting CPPopt does provide a way of improving cerebrovascular reactivity in patients with TBI, offering a rational intervention for trials that address this issue. We also bring insight into aspects of the PRx/CPP relationship that should be considered for autoregulation-guided management for future clinical protocols and trials design.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"937-944"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142770716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brian L Edlow, Varina L Boerwinkle, Jitka Annen, Melanie Boly, Olivia Gosseries, Steven Laureys, Pratik Mukherjee, Louis Puybasset, Robert D Stevens, Zachary D Threlkeld, Virginia F J Newcombe, Davinia Fernandez-Espejo
{"title":"Correction: Common Data Elements for Disorders of Consciousness: Recommendations from the Working Group on Neuroimaging.","authors":"Brian L Edlow, Varina L Boerwinkle, Jitka Annen, Melanie Boly, Olivia Gosseries, Steven Laureys, Pratik Mukherjee, Louis Puybasset, Robert D Stevens, Zachary D Threlkeld, Virginia F J Newcombe, Davinia Fernandez-Espejo","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02101-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02101-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"1133-1134"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neurocritical CarePub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-02165-1
Adam Kardon, Dowon Kim, Haoyu Ren, Matthew N Jaffa, Dina Elsaesser, Michael Armahizer, Katharina M Busl, Neeraj Badjatia, Gunjan Parikh, Prajwal Ciryam, J Marc Simard, Chixiang Chen, Nicholas A Morris
{"title":"A Propensity Score-Weighted Analysis of Short-Term Corticosteroid Therapy for Refractory Pain Following Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.","authors":"Adam Kardon, Dowon Kim, Haoyu Ren, Matthew N Jaffa, Dina Elsaesser, Michael Armahizer, Katharina M Busl, Neeraj Badjatia, Gunjan Parikh, Prajwal Ciryam, J Marc Simard, Chixiang Chen, Nicholas A Morris","doi":"10.1007/s12028-024-02165-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12028-024-02165-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Corticosteroids are prescribed for refractory headache in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) despite limited supporting evidence. We hypothesized that a short course of corticosteroids would reduce pain.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We reviewed all patients who received corticosteroids for refractory headache following spontaneous SAH within our institutional database. Pain was measured by a numeric rating scale (NRS) every 2 h. The primary outcome was maximum daily NRS score; secondary outcomes were the mean daily NRS score and daily opioid consumption. Propensity scores were developed using potential predictors of corticosteroid use, including age, sex, pretreatment 24-h pain burden, and the number of analgesics being used to control pain. Inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to balance baseline covariate distributions between patients receiving corticosteroids and control patients. Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze longitudinal NRS scores and oral morphine equivalents based on the weighted cohort.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 213 patients were included. The mean age was 55 (SD 13) years, and 141 of 213 (66%) were female. Of 213 patients, 195 (92%) had a low clinical grade (i.e., Hunt-Hess grades 1-3). Seventy patients were prescribed corticosteroids on postbleed day 5 (SD 3.3) on average, with an average of 26 (SD 10) mg of dexamethasone over 48 h. Patients receiving corticosteroids and controls were well balanced on baseline predictors of treatment status. After IPTW, we found that corticosteroid therapy reduced the daily maximum pain NRS score by 0.59 (SE = 0.39, p = 0.12), 0.96 (SE = 0.42, p = 0.02), and 0.91 (SE = 0.46, p = 0.048) on days 1-3, respectively, after adjusting for control effects. The mean daily pain NRS score and daily opioid use were nonsignificantly reduced in the 3 days following corticosteroid initiation after adjusting for control effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Short-term corticosteroids only slightly reduced maximum pain severity after spontaneous SAH. Other analgesic strategies are required to manage refractory pain in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":19118,"journal":{"name":"Neurocritical Care","volume":" ","pages":"920-928"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142676216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}