Impact and Feasibility of Mechanical Ventilation at a Surgical Center in Sierra Leone: Experience From EMERGENCY's Hospital in Goderich.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the large burden of critically ill patients in developing countries, mechanical ventilation (MV) is scarce in these low-resource settings. In the absence of data, issues like costs and lack of training are often felt to outweigh the benefits of potential MV implementation in such places. We aimed to investigate the impact and feasibility of MV in a surgical ICU in West Africa. DESIGN: This is a 7-month retrospective observational study (from October 25, 2022, to May 25, 2023), covering all patients consecutively admitted to ICU. SETTING: The NGO EMERGENCY's hospital in Goderich, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The hospital is a referral center for acute care surgery. PATIENTS: Critical patients admitted to the hospital's ICU. INTERVENTIONS: Following brief, practical training of the nursing staff, one basic mechanical ventilator was installed at the hospital's ICU, under the supervision of two intensivists. Only patients with a body weight of over 15 kg and who met the "extreme criteria" for MV received this life-saving therapy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 195 files of patients admitted to ICU during the study period, 162 were analyzed. The median age was 16 (interquartile range 7-27) and 48.1% of the population were under 14 years. The most common cause of admission was trauma (58.6%), followed by acute abdomen (33.3%), caustic soda ingestion (6.2%), and burns (1.9%). Of the overall population, 26 patients (16%) underwent MV (88.5% trauma cases vs. 11.5% acute abdomen). Median time on MV was 24 hours (12-64). The mortality rate in the MV group was 30.8% (8/26), while in the overall study population, it was 11.7% (19/162). One potentially life-threatening event of tube obstruction was handled appropriately. CONCLUSIONS: This study strongly supports the implementation of MV in low-resource settings. In our experience, the consistent benefit of reduced mortality among critical patients largely outweighs the associated challenges.

Inaccurate early assessment of neurological severity in head injury.

Intubation, which requires sedation and myorelaxants, may lead to inaccurate neurological evaluation of severely head-injured patients. Aims of this study were to describe the early clinical evolution of traumatic brain injured (TBI) patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), to identify cases of over-estimated neurological severity, and to quantify the risk factors for this over-estimation. A total of 753 TBI patients consecutively admitted to ICU of three academic neurosurgical hospitals (NSH) were assessed. Cases whose severity was potentially over-estimated were identified by four criteria and indicated as "mistakenly severe" (MS): (1) no surgical intracranial masses; (2) could not follow commands at neurological assessment; (3) were dismissed from the ICU in < or =3 days to a regular ward; and (4) had regained the ability to obey commands. A total of 675 patients were intubated and/or sedated-paralyzed at the post-stabilization evaluation. In all, 304 patients had surgically treated intracranial masses. Among the 449 non-surgical cases, 58 patients fulfilling the criteria for MS were identified. The main features distinguishing MS from truly severe cases were younger age, higher Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at all time points, Marshall classification of Computerized Tomographic (CT) scan mostly Diffuse Injury I and II, fewer pupillary abnormalities, and a lower frequency of hypoxia, hypotension, and extra-cranial injuries. In a certain proportion of non-surgical TBI patients, mostly intubated and sedated, neurological examination is difficult and severity can be over-estimated. Risk factors for this inaccurate evaluation can be identified, and clinical decisions should be based on further examination.

Traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage on the computerized tomography scan obtained at admission: a multicenter assessment of the accuracy of diagnosis and the potential impact on patient outcome.

OBJECT: The goal of this study was fourfold: 1) to determine the incidence of traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (tSAH) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI); 2) to verify agreement in the diagnosis of tSAH in a multicenter study; 3) to assess the incidence of tSAH on the outcome of the patient; and 4) to establish whether tSAH itself leads to an unfavorable outcome or whether it is a sign of major brain trauma associated with severe posttraumatic lesions. METHODS: Computerized tomography (CT) scans obtained in 169 head-injured patients on admission to 12 Italian intensive care units during a 3-month period were examined. The scans were collected for neuroradiological review and were used for the analysis together with data from a multicenter database (Neurolink). A review committee found a high incidence of tSAH (61%) in patients with TBI and a moderate agreement among centers (K = 0.57). Significant associations were observed between the presence and grading of tSAH and patient outcomes, and between the presence of tSAH and the severity of the CT findings. Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of tSAH and its grading alone do not assume statistical significance in the prediction of unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic SAH frequently occurs in patients with TBI, but it is difficult to detect and grade. Traumatic SAH is associated with more severe CT findings and a worse patient outcome.

Continuous low dose diclofenac sodium infusion to control fever in neurosurgical critical care.

INTRODUCTION: Aim of this randomized prospective clinical trial is to compare two methods of antipyretics and evaluate their efficacy in controlling fever during the acute phase of brain damage. METHODS: Twenty-two febrile comatose patients: 12 severe traumatic brain injury and 10 subarachnoid hemorrhage divided in 2 groups: Diclofenac low-dose infusion (10 patients) and extemporaneous boluses of NSAIDs (CTRL, 12 patients). The primary outcome measure was length of time with temperature>38 degrees C. Secondary outcome measures were: 1) to assess the effects of each antipyretic strategy on intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate; 2) to monitor adverse effects of each antipyretic strategy. The baseline characteristics in the two treatment groups were similar. RESULTS: Primary findings: percentage of time per patient with temperature>38 degrees C was significantly lower (P<0.0001) in the DCF group, 4% (0-22%), vs. 34% (8-56%) in CTRL group. In addition, mean T degrees , max T degrees were lower in DCF than in CTRL (P<0.05). Secondary findings: CPP and MAP were significantly higher in DCF group (P<0.05) while ICP was not different (NS). However, if ICP pre randomization was <25 mmHg, CTRL suffered a worst ICP (24+/-11 vs. 16+/-7 P=0.01), MAP (89+/-10 vs. 104+/-10 P=0.01) and CPP (75+/-10 vs. 94+/-17 P=0.01) compared to DCF. No differences between the two treatment were recorded when ICP>or=25 mmHg before randomization. There was no gastrointestinal or intracranial bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Low dose DCF infusion is a potential useful strategy for a successful control temperature better than intermittent NSAIDs dosing, minimizing potentially brain-damaging effects of fever.

Sedation in neurointensive care: advances in understanding and practice.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To evaluate the rationale and the pharmacologic options for sedating neurointensive care patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Sedation is a fundamental element in the neurointensive care unit. Even if the sedative strategy in the neurointensive care unit shares the same general aims with intensive care, the characteristics of the patients in the neurointensive care unit pose other unique challenges and some specific indications. The primary aim of neurointensive care is to maintain adequate cerebral perfusion pressure, to control intracranial pressure, and to maintain an adequate mean arterial pressure. Reducing the brain's metabolic demand is an important treatment strategy, and analgesic and sedative agents are used to prevent undesirable increases in intracranial pressure. There are many different pharmacologic agents available, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. SUMMARY: The pharmacokinetic and pharmacologic effects of the available sedatives used in neurointensive care patients are reviewed.