The Neurosurgeon as a High-Performance Athlete: Parallels and Lessons Learned from Sports Psychology.

BACKGROUND: Top performing neurosurgeons and elite athletes require years of sacrifice, discipline, and dedication to their art to be finely attuned to their physical abilities and limitations, and a singular mental focus to reach their full potential under moments of pressure. METHODS: We outline strategies and techniques commonly used by high-performance athletes and how they may be applied to neurosurgery to achieve the highest possible surgeon preparation, patient outcomes, and career longevity. RESULTS: Further investigation and integration of well-established cognitive psychology applications to surgical performance is needed. These principles are broad-reaching and may be applied to the training of our residents, our own daily routine, and as a life philosophy to enhance the longevity of our careers. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining peak performance for a neurosurgeon may prove to be more challenging than that of the elite athlete.

The golden 35†min of stroke intervention with ADAPT: effect of thrombectomy procedural time in acute ischemic stroke on outcome.

INTRODUCTION: In acute ischemic stroke (AIS), extending mechanical thrombectomy procedural times beyond 60 min has previously been associated with an increased complication rate and poorer outcomes. OBJECTIVE: After improvements in thrombectomy methods, to reassess whether this relationship holds true with a more contemporary thrombectomy approach: a direct aspiration first pass technique (ADAPT). METHODS: We retrospectively studied a database of patients with AIS who underwent ADAPT thrombectomy for large vessel occlusions. Patients were dichotomized into two groups: 'early recan', in which recanalization (recan) was achieved in ≤35 min, and 'late recan', in which procedures extended beyond 35 min. RESULTS: 197 patients (47.7% women, mean age 66.3 years) were identified. We determined that after 35 min, a poor outcome was more likely than a good (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 0-2) outcome. The baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was similar between 'early recan' (n=122) (14.7±6.9) and 'late recan' patients (n=75) (15.9±7.2). Among 'early recan' patients, recanalization was achieved in 17.8±8.8 min compared with 70±39.8 min in 'late recan' patients. The likelihood of achieving a good outcome was higher in the 'early recan' group (65.2%) than in the 'late recan' group (38.2%; p<0.001). Patients in the 'late recan' group had a higher likelihood of postprocedural hemorrhage, specifically parenchymal hematoma type 2, than those in the 'early recan' group. Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline NIHSS, recanalization time, and atrial fibrillation had a significant impact on 90-day outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that extending ADAPT thrombectomy procedure times beyond 35 min increases the likelihood of complications such as intracerebral hemorrhage while reducing the likelihood of a good outcome.