Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing baseline D-dimer level in stroke patients with or without cancer: Strength of current evidence.

Objectives: D-dimer levels are increased in stroke and cancer. Cancer patients are at a higher risk of stroke. However, the evidence is unclear if high D-dimer in stroke patients can suggest the diagnosis of concomitant cancer or the development of stroke in a cancer patient. The objective is to assess the evidence available on the baseline D-dimer level in stroke patients with and without cancer. Materials and Methods: We conducted the systematic review and meta-analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. We searched PUBMED, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Scopus for potentially eligible articles published till June 2023. All the review steps were iterative and done independently by two reviewers. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale tool was used to assess the quality of included studies for case control and cohort studies and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality tool for cross-sectional studies. The qualitative synthesis is presented narratively, and quantitative synthesis is shown in the forest plot using the random effects model. I2 of more than 60% was considered as high heterogeneity. Results: The searches from all the databases yielded 495 articles. After the study selection process, six papers were found eligible for inclusion in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. In the present systematic review, 2651 patients with ischemic infarcts are included of which 404 (13.97%) patients had active cancer while 2247 (86.02%) did not. The studies included were of high quality and low risk of bias. There were significantly higher baseline D-dimer levels in stroke patients with cancer than in non-cancer patients with a mean difference of 4.84 (3.07-6.60) P < 0.00001. Conclusion: D-dimer is a simple and relatively non-expensive biomarker that is increased to significant levels in stroke patients, who have cancer and therefore may be a tool to predict through screening for active or occult cancer in stroke patients.

Eutanasia y suicidio asistido: revisión y análisis de marcos legales internacionales comparados con Colombia / Euthanasia and assisted suicide: review and analysis of international legal frameworks compared with Colombia

El avance en materia de derechos humanos es indispensable durante el desarrollo de políticas públicas en salud y marcos legales que garanticen el cuidado integro de la salud; la eutanasia y suicidio asistido siguen siendo conceptos ampliamente discutidos desde la medicina, y especialmente en la bioética por el peso que poseen en la toma de decisiones del paciente terminal y cuidados paliativos. Estos términos, su uso, aprobación y regulación legal dependen de la influencia de diversos determinantes como la investigación biomédica, las creencias religiosas, los aspectos socioculturales, entre otros. Sin embargo, lo que permite la interpretación y observación de resultados son las practicas soportadas por las legislaciones de cada país; Colombia es el único país que ha despenalizado la eutanasia en la región y que progresa activamente en temas relacionados. En este orden de ideas, el objetivo de esta revisión consiste en analizar los marcos legales internacionales sobre la definición y uso de la eutanasia y el suicidio asistido, que permitan comprender la evolución de la normatividad sobre el cuidado al final de la vida.

Advances in human rights are indispensable during the development of public policies in health and legal frameworks that guarantee integral health care; euthanasia and assisted suicide continue to be concepts widely discussed in medicine, and especially in bioethics due to the weight they have in the decision-making process of the terminal patient and palliative care. These terms, their use, approval, and legal regulation depend on the influence of various determinants such as biomedical research, religious beliefs, and sociocultural aspects. However, what allows the interpretation and observation of results are the practices supported by the legislation of each country; Colombia is the only country that has decriminalized euthanasia in the region and is actively progressing in related issues. In this order of ideas, the objective of this review is to analyze the international legal frameworks on the definition and use of euthanasia and assisted suicide to understand the evolution of regulations on end-of-life care.

Os avanços nos direitos humanos são indispensáveis para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas de saúde e marcos legais que garantam a atenção integral à saúde. A eutanásia e o suicídio assistido continuam sendo conceitos amplamente discutidos na medicina e, principalmente, na bioética, devido ao peso que têm no processo de tomada de decisão de pacientes terminais e nos cuidados paliativos. Esses termos, seu uso, aprovação e regulamentação legal dependem da influência de vários determinantes, como pesquisas biomédicas, crenças religiosas, aspectos socioculturais, entre outros. No entanto, o que permite a interpretação e a observação dos resultados são as práticas apoiadas pela legislação de cada país; a Colômbia é o único país que descriminalizou a eutanásia na região e está avançando ativamente em questões relacionadas. O objetivo desta revisão é analisar as estruturas jurídicas internacionais sobre a definição e o uso da eutanásia e do suicídio assistido a fim de compreender a evolução das regulamentações de cuidados no fim da vida.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide: An in-depth review of relevant historical aspects.

End-of-life care is an increasingly relevant topic due to advances in biomedical research and the establishment of new disciplines in evidence-based medicine and bioethics. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are two terms widely discussed in medicine, which cause displeasure on many occasions and cause relief on others. The evolution of these terms and the events associated with their study have allowed the evaluation of cases that have established useful definitions for the legal regulation of palliative care and public policies in the different health systems. However, there are still many aspects to be elucidated and defined. Based on the above, this review aimed to compile relevant historical aspects on the evolution of euthanasia and assisted suicide, which will allow understanding the use and research of these terms.

Emergency surgical salvage for severe intracranial aneurysm rupture during endovascular coiling procedures not amenable to additional coiling.

BACKGROUND: We report the management and outcomes of six patients who underwent emergency surgical intervention in the setting of severe intraprocedural rupture during endovascular treatment of an intracranial aneurysm not amenable to additional coiling. METHODS: From July 1997 through December 2010, our neurovascular service treated 1613 patients with coil embolization. During this time, we encountered six patients who suffered severe intraprocedural aneurysm rupture, defined by contrast extravasation during the coiling procedure, in whom additional attempted coiling failed to stop the ongoing extravasation. Hospital records, neuroimaging studies, operative reports, and follow-up clinic notes were complete and reviewed in all cases. The follow-up review in surviving patients ranged from 1.5 to 9 years (average 3.8 years), and no patient was lost to the follow-up review. RESULTS: In all cases, persistent extravasation necessitated urgent surgical decompression and securing of the ruptured aneurysm. Of these six cases, three patients achieved a good functional status after prolonged rehabilitation, and one of these had only subtle cognitive changes on formal neuropsychological testing. Two patients died. CONCLUSION: Intraprocedural rupture during aneurysm coiling is a dangerous and potentially fatal event. Despite the seemingly hopeless nature of this situation, in our experience, aggressive management to control intracranial pressure combined with a rapid reversal of anticoagulation and early surgical intervention can result in reasonable outcomes in some patients.

Emergency extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery for acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of urgent extracranial-intracranial (ECIC) bypass in the management of intracranial cerebrovascular disease and acute cerebral ischemic injury in carefully selected patients. METHODS: The authors reviewed the medical records and neuroimaging studies in 13 consecutive patients who underwent urgent surgical cerebral revascularization to treat acute cerebral ischemia. None were thought to be appropriate candidates for endovascular therapy. The patients' ages ranged from 21 to 65 years (mean 41.2 years). The mean follow-up review was 3.5 years, and no patient was lost to follow-up. RESULTS: Preoperative angiographic evaluation identified critical narrowing of the supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA) in 8 patients, the M(1) segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 3, and the cervical/petrous ICA in 2. All patients had progressive, refractory symptoms associated with enlarging areas of infarction on diffusion weighted MR imaging, despite maximal medical therapy, which included anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents, blood pressure elevation, and fluid resuscitation. All patients underwent superficial temporal artery-MCA anastomosis on an urgent basis. In every case, the bypass prevented further stroke progression. In 2 cases, revascularization was followed by rapid, dramatic improvement of preoperative neurological deficits. CONCLUSIONS: In the authors' experience, emergency EC-IC bypass in patients with acute ischemic injury was both safe and effective. This population was characterized by relatively young patients with severely limited collateral circulation. In this series of 13 carefully selected patients, bypass was successful in arresting progression of stroke, and in some cases resulted in rapid neurological improvement.

Microvascular repair of an injured cortical draining vein.

BACKGROUND: Cortical venous injury can occur during any intracranial procedure with potentially severe consequences. We describe a simple technique that allowed for successful repair of a large cortical draining vein. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 43-year-old, right-handed woman presented with 6 months of headaches and progressive difficulty with right-sided hemiparesis. She had significant loss of hand coordination and writing ability. Computed tomography and MR imaging revealed a parasagittal meningioma in the left, posterior frontal region. The patient underwent craniotomy with resection of the lesion. CONCLUSION: When a cortical vein is injured, collateral drainage pathways may prevent the development of a clinical problem. Because of the unpredictability of these collateral channels, venous reconstruction may be feasible and even straightforward in some cases.

Fenestration of the middle cerebral artery with an associated ruptured aneurysm.

Intracranial arterial fenestrations are uncommon developmental anomalies that may alter local hemodynamic stress patterns and may be associated with intracranial aneurysms. A 75-year-old woman presented with a mild subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a 5 mm aneurysm arising from the middle cerebral artery (MCA) associated with a dramatic fenestration of the proximal M1 segment of the MCA. The patient underwent craniotomy with microsurgical aneurysm clipping. The aneurysm arose immediately distal to the fenestration. Several fine perforating arteries were dissected away from the neck of the aneurysm to allow for safe clip placement. Postoperatively, the patient awoke without deficit and was discharged to home on the fifth postoperative day in good condition. Anomalies of the intracranial vasculature are common and we describe a rare proximal MCA fenestration with an associated ruptured aneurysm at the site of the fenestration. Neurosurgeons should be thoroughly familiar with such potential "normal variants" to avoid operative complications that may result from the anomalous circulation in such cases.

Perioperative use of recombinant factor VII to prevent intraoperative aneurysm rupture in high risk patients: a preliminary safety evaluation.

OBJECT: The authors present a safety evaluation of the perioperative use of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in a series of subarachnoid hemorrhage patients undergoing microsurgical aneurysm clipping. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of the records of 18 consecutive subarachnoid hemorrhage patients who underwent craniotomy for aneurysm clipping and received an intraoperative dose of rFVIIa. In each case, the aneurysm was felt to be a "high risk" lesion for intraoperative rupture either because it had bled multiple times prior to surgery or based on anatomical considerations. All complications were recorded whether or not they were attributed to the use of rFVIIa. RESULTS: Eighteen patients, 7 men and 11 women, ranging in age from 42 to 85 years were included in this review. Nine patients (50%) were either Hunt/Hess Grades IV or V. Six patients developed clinically significant cerebral vasospasm. Fifteen patients required ventricular drainage on admission, and seven patients ultimately required a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. One lower extremity deep venous thrombosis and seven upper extremity venous thromboses in association with peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines were identified on screening Doppler evaluations. There were no associated pulmonary emboli. No aneurysm ruptured intraoperatively. CONCLUSION: We describe our experience with the use of a single dose of rFVIIa administered perioperatively in an attempt to decrease the rate of intraoperative aneurysm rupture in patients undergoing microsurgical aneurysm clipping. There were no significant immediate or long-term adverse effects attributable to the use of rFVIIa in this group, and we encountered no intraoperative ruptures in this relatively small series.

Dissecting aneurysms of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery: retrospective evaluation of management and extended follow-up review in 6 patients.

OBJECT: The authors report the management protocol and successful outcomes in 6 patients with dissecting aneurysms of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). METHODS: Medical records and neuroimaging studies of 6 patients who underwent surgical treatment of dissecting PICA aneurysms were reviewed. The mean follow-up duration was 1.8 years. No patient was lost to follow-up review. RESULTS: Four patients presented with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage and 2 with PICA ischemia. All patients underwent surgery, which entailed proximal occlusion with distal revascularization in 3 cases and circumferential wrap/clip reconstruction in 3 cases. The revascularization techniques used were occipital artery-PICA bypass and PICA-PICA anastomosis. Delayed follow-up angiography was performed in all cases. In patients treated with proximal occlusion, delayed angiography showed minimal retrograde opacification of the dissected segments. The 3 patients treated with wrap/clip reconstruction showed unexpectedly significant normalization of their lesions on angiographic studies. Outcome was good in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Dissecting PICA aneurysms are rare lesions with an apparent propensity for bleeding. Individualized management including distal revascularization with PICA sacrifice or circumferential wrap/clip reconstruction to reinforce the dissected segment produced good outcomes. Patients treated with aneurysm wrapping may show dramatic angiographic improvement of the dissected segment.