A Modified Delphi Consensus Approach to Define Entrustable Professional Activities for Neurocritical Care Advanced Practice Providers.

OBJECTIVES: To define consensus entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for neurocritical care (NCC) advanced practice providers (APPs), establish validity evidence for the EPAs, and evaluate factors that inform entrustment expectations of NCC APP supervisors. DESIGN: A three-round modified Delphi consensus process followed by application of the EQual rubric and assessment of generalizability by clinicians not affiliated with academic medical centers. SETTING: Electronic surveys. SUBJECTS: NCC APPs ( n = 18) and physicians ( n = 12) in the United States with experience in education scholarship or APP program leadership. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The steering committee generated an initial list of 61 possible EPAs. The panel proposed 30 additional EPAs. A total of 47 unique nested EPAs were retained by consensus opinion. The steering committee defined six core EPAs addressing medical knowledge, procedural competencies, and communication proficiency which encompassed the nested EPAs. All core EPAs were retained and subsequently met the previously described cut score for quality and structure using the EQual rubric. Most clinicians who were not affiliated with academic medical centers rated each of the six core EPAs as very important or mandatory. Entrustment expectations did not vary by prespecified groups. CONCLUSIONS: Expert consensus was used to create EPAs for NCC APPs that reached a predefined quality standard and were important to most clinicians in different practice settings. We did not identify variables that significantly predicted entrustment expectations. These EPAs may aid in curricular design for an EPA-based assessment of new NCC APPs and may inform the development of EPAs for APPs in other critical care subspecialties.

Zero-Calibrating External Ventricular Drains: Exploring Practice.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Guidelines call for the removal of the nonvented cap (NVC) on the flushless transducer applied to the external ventricular drain (EVD) to zero the device to atmospheric pressure. Some hospitals have abandoned this practice to prevent opening the system to air. No data exist to determine the safest, most effective method of EVD zero-calibration. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team was assembled to use reflective practice to evaluate current zero-calibration of EVD practice. RESULTS: Clinical Nursing Focus showed recommendations largely out of date without detailed rationale or a high level of evidence. Manufacturer recommendations were fragmented and did not address rationale for technique. Bedside trial showed equivalence when comparing intracranial pressure (ICP) tidal, ICP after EVD zero with NVC removal, and ICP after EVD zero without NVC removal. CONCLUSION: Institutional guidelines were changed to reflect zero-calibration of EVD without NVC removal in systems that are amendable to this procedure. Further study is needed to determine best practice.

Serial Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter via Radiographic Imaging: Correlation With ICP and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a suggested correlation of intracranial pressure (ICP) and potential predictor of outcome after neurologic injury. Studies have evaluated sonographic measurement of ONSD; however, clinical limitations to this approach persist. Evaluation of ONSD measurements via routine brain CT imaging is less studied but offers potential for detection of increased ICP in the absence of invasive monitoring. Previous studies have used cross-sectional approaches to ONSD measurements via CT scan among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). No studies have evaluated serial correlations between CT ONSD measurements and ICP throughout hospitalization and across diagnosis types. The objective of this study was to investigate correlations between ONSD via serial CT imaging, ICP, and outcome at discharge among patients with neurologic injury. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients admitted during a 12-month period with acute neurologic injury requiring ICP monitoring and critical care admission. RESULTS: N = 48. There was a strong, positive correlation between right/left ONSD across time points (r = 0.7-9, p < 0.001), suggesting a consistent bilateral response. Correlations were strongest between initial inpatient CT scan ONSD readings and ICP (r = 0.5, p < 0.05), but decreased over time. Patients with increased ICP across all diagnosis types experienced higher ONSD values on presentation to the emergency department (ED) and throughout hospitalization (range 5.7-6.4 mm, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to the utility of CT ONSD measurements as a potential indicator of increased ICP. Measurement of ONSD during serial CT brain imaging may inform clinical decisions regarding need for more invasive monitoring after neurologic injury.

Guidelines for the Acute Treatment of Cerebral Edema in Neurocritical Care Patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute treatment of cerebral edema and elevated intracranial pressure is a common issue in patients with neurological injury. Practical recommendations regarding selection and monitoring of therapies for initial management of cerebral edema for optimal efficacy and safety are generally lacking. This guideline evaluates the role of hyperosmolar agents (mannitol, HTS), corticosteroids, and selected non-pharmacologic therapies in the acute treatment of cerebral edema. Clinicians must be able to select appropriate therapies for initial cerebral edema management based on available evidence while balancing efficacy and safety. METHODS: The Neurocritical Care Society recruited experts in neurocritical care, nursing, and pharmacy to create a panel in 2017. The group generated 16 clinical questions related to initial management of cerebral edema in various neurological insults using the PICO format. A research librarian executed a comprehensive literature search through July 2018. The panel screened the identified articles for inclusion related to each specific PICO question and abstracted necessary information for pertinent publications. The panel used GRADE methodology to categorize the quality of evidence as high, moderate, low, or very low based on their confidence that the findings of each publication approximate the true effect of the therapy. RESULTS: The panel generated recommendations regarding initial management of cerebral edema in neurocritical care patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, bacterial meningitis, and hepatic encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: The available evidence suggests hyperosmolar therapy may be helpful in reducing ICP elevations or cerebral edema in patients with SAH, TBI, AIS, ICH, and HE, although neurological outcomes do not appear to be affected. Corticosteroids appear to be helpful in reducing cerebral edema in patients with bacterial meningitis, but not ICH. Differences in therapeutic response and safety may exist between HTS and mannitol. The use of these agents in these critical clinical situations merits close monitoring for adverse effects. There is a dire need for high-quality research to better inform clinicians of the best options for individualized care of patients with cerebral edema.

Herpes simplex reactivation following neurosurgery: case report and review of the literature.

Herpes simplex encephalitis is a common viral encephalitis associated with significant morbidity and mortality if not diagnosed and treated early. Neurosurgery may be an impetus for viral reactivation, either from direct nerve manipulation or high-dose steroids often administered during cases. The authors present the 40th known case of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis following neurosurgical intervention and review the previously reported cases. In their review, the authors observed positive HSV polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which had initially been negative in several cases. In cases in which there is high suspicion of HSV, it may be prudent to continue antiviral therapy and retest CSF for HSV PCR. Antiviral therapy significantly reduces mortality associated with HSV encephalitis.

Transitions of Care for Patients with Neurologic Diagnoses Transition from the Intensive Care Unit to the Floor.

Transition of care from the intensive care unit to acute care units after critical neurologic injury includes the consideration of a variety of factors to ensure safe and effective care, and promote ongoing neurologic recovery. Assessment of effectiveness of deescalation techniques, agitation management, and risk factor mitigation are important strategies to enhance the success of transitions. Clear and consistent interdisciplinary communication between teams during hand-off between units is imperative to decrease the risk of complications and errors, and to streamline discharge processes.

Coffee Talk: A Jolt for Night Shift Education.

BACKGROUND: Education opportunities for night shift nurses are limited compared with those for their day-shift counterparts. However, patients remain critically ill regardless of shift and require intensive nursing care at all hours. Overnight, this care is often provided with fewer resources. These challenges can lead to disengagement and high turnover on the night shift. OBJECTIVES: To see whether initiation of an informal education series called "Coffee Talk" could improve accessibility to learning for night shift nurses and elevate perception of support from administrators and overall job satisfaction. METHODS: The lecture series was created to facilitate education for night shift nurses. The program features various speakers within the interdisciplinary team discussing topics chosen by the nursing staff. The talks are presented in an informal setting during overnight hours. An electronic survey tool was used to determine nurses' opinions regarding Coffee Talk, using a retrospective pretest and posttest format. Questions centered on the type of educational offerings, relevance to practice, perceived leadership support, convenience of attendance, and overall job satisfaction. RESULTS: More than half of the nurses (59%) responded. All scores improved from before to after the intervention. The largest increases occurred in convenience of educational offerings and nurses' perception of leaders removing barriers to learning. Overall job satisfaction increased from 83% to 93%. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of an informal educational series improved nurses' access to education and nurses' feelings of support from administrators and overall job satisfaction.

Postoperative Pulmonary Edema Conundrum: A Case of Negative Pressure Pulmonary Edema.

Postobstructive pulmonary edema (POPE) also known as negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) is an underdiagnosed entity in clinical practice and can lead to life-threatening hypoxemia. A 64-year-old male patient's perioperative course was complicated by acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, after extubation following general anesthesia, following the excision of the right vocal cord papilloma. His chest X-ray showed features of pulmonary edema, EKG showed dynamic ST-T changes in the lateral leads, and echocardiography showed evidence of regional motion abnormalities. His coronaries were normal on the immediate angiogram. He was managed with lung protective mechanical ventilation strategy, diuretics, and fluid restriction. His respiratory status improved, and trachea was extubated after 10 hours of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The case illustrates the various differentials of immediate postoperative flash pulmonary edema and ensuing appropriate management strategy.

Hyperammonemia Presenting as Refractory Status Epilepticus after Lung Transplant in a Patient Positive for Ureaplasma parvum.

Hyperammonemia is a rare complication of lung transplant with a high mortality rate. It presents as encephalopathy and progresses to seizures, status epilepticus, coma, cerebral edema, and brain death. Multiple treatments have been documented including administration of medications, gut decontamination, and dialysis. However, no definitive treatments exist and mortality remains between 67% and 75%. We present the case of a 65-year-old male with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis who developed refractory status epilepticus secondary to hyperammonemia following lung transplant. The patient presented on postoperative day 7 with super-refractory status epilepticus and normal computed tomography scan of the head. Hyperammonemia was suspected due to refractory seizures and confirmed with peak ammonia level >1000 µmol/L. Despite aggressive treatment, the patient developed global cerebral edema and died. Postmortem investigations revealed that the patient was positive for Ureaplasma parvum. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanism of disease and investigate successful treatment options.

Sleep Deprivation in Neurointensive Care Unit Patients From Serial Neurological Checks: How Much Is Too Much?

OBJECTIVE: Hourly neurological examinations are frequently performed in the neurointensive care unit (NICU) to quickly detect neurological deterioration. These examinations require the patient to be awakened hourly for days disrupting the sleep cycle and potentially causing neurological deterioration through sleep deprivation and the development of delirium. This pilot study's aim was to describe the prevalence of neurologic deterioration and delirium in patients receiving hourly neuro checks. DESIGN: A 6-month prospective observational cohort study was conducted within the NICU at Mayo Clinic Florida. Twenty subjects were enrolled between July 24, 2016, and January 30, 2017. RESULTS: Neurological deterioration as defined as a decrease in Glasgow Coma Scale score of 2 or more, an increase in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score by 4 or more, or a change in Confusion Assessment Method score for use in intensive care unit patients from negative to positive occurred in 19 of 20 patients (95%) for a total of 67 events, with most patients having multiple events. Seventy-five percent of the subjects experienced a decrease in Glasgow Coma Scale score of 2 or more at least once during the study period. The largest number of events occurred within the first 24 hours (39%). Surprisingly, 75% of the subjects also developed delirium. Forty percent of the subjects demonstrating neurological deterioration received computed tomography imaging to evaluate the change. Sixty-seven percent lacked deterioration evident on computed tomography imaging, and the deterioration was not attributed to medication effect or seizure by an experienced provider. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological deterioration is prevalent in the NICU population. Although hourly neurological examinations may be beneficial in the acute phase of neurological injury, prolonged use may be paradoxically harmful due to sleep deprivation.

Brief report of a novel advanced practice provider-led course for ultrasound novices.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Formal training for ultrasound use is essential for critical care providers. Despite a national increase in the utilization of advanced practice providers in critical care, ultrasound education is not routinely provided in their training programs. This study describes and evaluates a 1-day advanced care provider (APP)-led course designed to provide fellow APPs with the skills to obtain and evaluate basic ultrasound images. METHODS: A 15-question pretest was administered via anonymous use of a clicker response system. Participants had didactic lectures followed by hands-on experience with live models and instructor. Posttest was administered after achievement of basic ultrasound views. Postcourse evaluations were also administered. CONCLUSIONS: Pretest and posttest questions included identifying anatomy, pathology, quantifying cardiac function, and clinical decision making. Scores improved from 58% on the pretest to 78% on the posttest. All participants acknowledged the need for the course and their ability to transfer the course into practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This course established that APPs can both teach and learn from their peers in a formal setting. In addition, this course demonstrated that an APP-led course with a combined hands-on and didactic approach is an effective method for critical care ultrasound skills acquisition in ultrasound-novice APPs.

Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Mortality After Implementation of Nocturnist Advanced Practice Provider Coverage.

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that a nocturnist advanced practice provider (APP) model compared with overnight neurocritical care coverage with general critical care physicians and neurology residents would provide similar patient outcomes, as measured by patient mortality. METHODS: This study is a retrospective review of healthcare outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients from 2013 and 2016, after implementation of specialty-trained neurocritical care nocturnist APPs. In 2013, overnight hours were covered by the general intensive care unit team and a junior neurology resident. In 2016, these patients were cared for by APPs overnight. The primary outcome measured was comparison of mortality before and after this change of overnight coverage because the daytime coverage remained similar between years. RESULTS: In 2013, 58 patients were admitted to the neurocritical care unit with aSAH. In 2016, 19 aSAH patients were admitted to the neurocritical care unit. The mean modified Fisher grade was 3.36 in 2013, with 14 of 58 deaths (mortality rate, 24%). In 2016, the mean modified Fisher grade was 3.4. Three patients died (mortality rate, 15.7%). CONCLUSION: The active nocturnist APP model was associated with an approximately 10% reduction in SAH mortality (P = .54). This supports the hypothesis that APPs can provide noninferior care as the previous model. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the effects of both nocturnist and APP-driven models.

Change and Stability of Emotional Health of Rural Pennsylvania Youth During High School.

PURPOSE: Few prior studies have examined change in emotional health of high school students in a rural context. Considering the multifaceted nature of emotional health, this research aims to identify the patterns and explore change and stability of the emotional health of rural Pennsylvania youth. It also investigates the influence of family, peers, school, and the community environment on rural adolescents' emotional health. METHODS: Using panel data from the Rural Youth Education Project, we employed latent transition analysis to examine changes in patterns of rural students' self-reported emotional health from 9th grade to 11th grade (N = 1,294). FINDINGS: Four distinct emotional health subgroups for rural adolescents were identified. Over half of the youth in the sample felt emotionally well, or positive, in both 9th and 11th grades. Roughly 60% of rural youth remained in the same emotional health category from 9th to 11th grade, but a substantial minority experienced change in emotional health. One-fifth reported lower emotional health status in 11th grade, and one-fifth indicated more positive emotions in 11th than in 9th grade. We found strong evidence of family, school, community, and peer influences on the emotional health of rural youth in 9th grade. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that while a large share of rural youth exhibit positive emotional health and remain positive across their high school years, a substantial share of rural youth experience changing emotional health. The study underscores the important role that family, peers, school, and the community environment play for rural youth's emotional health over time.

Oxygen Therapy with High-Flow Nasal Cannula as an Effective Treatment for Perioperative Pneumocephalus: Case Illustrations and Pathophysiological Review.

Pneumocephalus (PNC) is a condition in which when air is trapped inside the intracranial vault. The causes are varied, but include trauma and intracranial surgery. Treatment of PNC typically consists of augmenting patient oxygenation with the attempt of washing out pulmonary nitrogen, creating a gradient in which nitrogen in the intracranial air bubble diffuses out of the lungs via the blood. Though several high flow methods have been tested, the ideal mode of oxygenation has not fully been investigated. Here we present 3 cases of post-operative PNC who we felt were symptomatic from PNC. With administration of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), all patients improved both clinically and radiographically within a few hours, faster than in both anecdotal experience and published trials. Due to its steady FiO2 administration, positive pressure, comfort, and low side-effect profile, HFNC may be the ideal mode of oxygen delivery in PNC. We present a review of the physiology of PNC and the characteristics of several oxygen delivery systems to build a case for HFNC in this disease process.

Sepsis in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis are at high risk for sepsis and sepsis-related mortality. Aggressive treatment aimed at avoidance of hypoperfusion and prompt identification and treatment of the causative organism can improve patients' survival. Fluid administration is the first-line treatment to improve perfusion to vital organs; however, care should be taken to assess true intravascular volume status. In patients with adequate intravascular volume, vasopressors are then added to support blood pressure. Complications of cirrhosis often worsen in the setting of sepsis. Portosystemic encephalopathy, pulmonary complications, renal complications, adrenal insufficiency, malnutrition, and insufficient glucose control all must be considered and treated to support a patient with cirrhosis through sepsis. The quality of care that these patients receive ultimately influences their survival.