Practice guideline summary: Reducing brain injury following cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Report of the Guideline Development, Dissemination, and Implementation Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the evidence and make evidence-based recommendations for acute interventions to reduce brain injury in adult patients who are comatose after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. METHODS: Published literature from 1966 to August 29, 2016, was reviewed with evidence-based classification of relevant articles. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: For patients who are comatose in whom the initial cardiac rhythm is either pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), therapeutic hypothermia (TH; 32-34°C for 24 hours) is highly likely to be effective in improving functional neurologic outcome and survival compared with non-TH and should be offered (Level A). For patients who are comatose in whom the initial cardiac rhythm is either VT/VF or asystole/pulseless electrical activity (PEA) after OHCA, targeted temperature management (36°C for 24 hours, followed by 8 hours of rewarming to 37°C, and temperature maintenance below 37.5°C until 72 hours) is likely as effective as TH and is an acceptable alternative (Level B). For patients who are comatose with an initial rhythm of PEA/asystole, TH possibly improves survival and functional neurologic outcome at discharge vs standard care and may be offered (Level C). Prehospital cooling as an adjunct to TH is highly likely to be ineffective in further improving neurologic outcome and survival and should not be offered (Level A). Other pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies (applied with or without concomitant TH) are also reviewed.

Neurology for internal medicine residents: working towards a national Canadian curriculum consensus.

BACKGROUND: Partly due to the absence of a standardized neurology curriculum, internal medicine residents often perceive neurology lowest in terms of the level of knowledge and clinical confidence. AIMS: To compare the learning needs of internal medicine residents with the perceived learning needs of neurology and internal medicine program directors and to integrate these needs by developing a focused nationwide neurology curriculum for internal medicine residents rotating through neurology. METHODS: Medical residents and neurology and internal medicine program directors from programs across the Canada were asked to complete an online survey and to rank an exhaustive list of neurology topics. A modified Delphi approach was used to obtain consensus on the top 20 topics to include in the curriculum. RESULTS: Over 80% of residents felt their competency in neurology was average or below after completing their neurology rotation. There was very high correlation between the topics ranked by residents and staff. We were able to achieve consensus on 20 topics to be included in a neurology curriculum for internal medicine residents. CONCLUSION: Through a modified Delphi approach we were able to produce a neurology curriculum for internal medicine residents rotating through neurology based on the input of program directors across the country.