Enteral free water vs. parenteral dextrose 5% in water for the treatment of hypernatremia in the intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study from a mixed ICU.

PURPOSE: Effective treatment options for patients with hypernatremia are limited. Free water administration (parenterally or enterally) is the mainstay of treatment but the impact of each strategy on lowering serum sodium (Na) is not known. The purpose of the study was thus to assess the effectiveness of enteral free water vs. parenteral dextrose 5% in water (D5W) in treating ICU-acquired hypernatremia. METHODS: An electronic medical record-based, retrospective cohort study was conducted in a 30-bed mixed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in Japan. All adult patients admitted to the ICU from August 2017 to July 2021 were reviewed. After a 2-step exclusion, patients who stayed in the ICU ≥ 24 h and received either or both treatments for ICU-acquired hypernatremia (Na ≥ 145 mEq/L) constituted the study cohort. The primary outcome was a change in serum Na during the 24 h before treatment each day (ΔNa); the secondary outcomes were gastrointestinal complications, serum glucose levels, ICU/hospital mortality, ICU/hospital length of stay, and the duration of mechanical ventilation. Repeated measurements on each patient were addressed using a generalized estimated equation (GEE) for multiple linear regression analysis. Analysis was conducted with R version 4.0.3. RESULTS: In total, 256/6596 (131: D5W, 125: enteral free water) patients were analyzed. Median treatment lasted 6 days [3-17] for the D5W group vs 7 days [3-14] for the enteral free water group with a total median daily treatment volume of 799 [IQR 299-1221] mL vs. 400 [IQR 262-573] mL. GEE multiple linear regression analysis showed an estimated mean ΔNa per liter of treatment fluid of - 2.25 [95% CI - 2.76 to - 1.74] mEq/L per liter of parenteral D5W vs. - 1.91 mEq decrease [95% CI - 2.75 to - 1.07] per liter of enteral free water. Hydrochlorothiazide was the only medication associated with a statistically significant negative ΔNa by- 0.89 [- 1.57 to - 0.21] mEq/L. There were no significant inter-group differences for secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that both enteral free water and parenteral D5W are effective for treating ICU-acquired hypernatremia. Parenteral D5W was slightly more effective than enteral free water to lower serum Na levels in patients with ICU-acquired hypernatremia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

Reducing the effect of immortal time bias affects the analysis of prevention of delirium by suvorexant in critically ill patients: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Studies assessing the effect of suvorexant on delirium prevention included patients treated before development of delirium, which can introduce immortal time bias. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of suvorexant on delirium, comparing patients treated before the onset of delirium with patients treated within 72h of admission using the same dataset. METHODS: Data from adult patients admitted to the ICU from August 2018 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. In "any time before" analysis, the incidence of delirium was compared for patients who received suvorexant at any time during their ICU stay (suvorexant) (unless delirium developed before treatment) with patients who either did not receive suvorexant or received suvorexant after development of delirium (control). This design was used in previously published studies. In "within 72h" analysis, the incidence of delirium was compared for patients who received suvorexant within 72 hours of admission (suvorexant) and patients who did not receive suvorexant or received it more than 72 hours after admission (control). Patients who developed delirium during the initial 72 hours were excluded from "within 72h" analysis (N = 799). RESULTS: "Within 72h" analysis included 1,255 patients, and "any time before" analysis included 2,054 patients (of 6599 admissions). The unadjusted hazard ratio of "any time before" analysis was 0.16 and the 95% confidence interval was 0.13-0.21 (p<0.01). The adjusted hazard ratio was 0.21, and the 95% confidence interval was 0.16-0.27 (p<0.01). "Within 72h" analysis had an unadjusted hazard ratio of 0.54 and the 95% confidence interval was 0.36-0.82 (p<0.01). However, this association lost statistical significance after adjustment for potential confounders (adjusted hazard ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.65-1.59, p = 0.93). CONCLUSION: Reducing the effect of immortal time bias led to a significantly reduced effect of suvorexant for the prevention of delirium.

The effect of preoperative sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors on the incidence of perioperative metabolic acidosis: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are a novel class of anti-hyperglycemic agents. Although several cases of perioperative euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis have been linked to these medications, the association remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor use and the incidence of perioperative metabolic acidosis with euglycemia, the surrogating outcome of perioperative euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. METHOD: This was a retrospective, matched cohort study, which was conducted in the intensive care unit of a tertiary care facility in Japan. We identified patients aged 20 years or older with diabetes mellitus who received pharmacologic therapy and were admitted to the intensive care unit after elective surgery between April 2014 and March 2019. We extracted the following data from the electronic medical record for matching: age, sex, surgery year, surgical site, hemoglobin A1c level, and prescription for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. Eligible patients were divided into two groups, those who were prescribed sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i group) and those who were not (control group). For each patient in the SGLT2-i group, we randomly selected four patients from the control group matched for the extracted characteristics. The primary outcome was the incidence of metabolic acidosis with an elevated anion gap and euglycemia. The secondary outcome was the lowest pH value of each patient during their ICU stay. RESULTS: A total of 155 patients were included in this study. Patients receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors had comparable characteristics to control participants; however, the proportions of patients undergoing dialysis were not similar. Metabolic acidosis with euglycemia was seen in 7/31 (22.6%) patients receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and in 10/124 (8.1%) control patients (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors is associated with a significantly higher incidence of metabolic acidosis with euglycemia. Patients receiving sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors who are scheduled to undergo invasive surgical procedures should be closely monitored for the development of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis.

The Psoas Muscle Index Is Associated with Prognosis in Elderly Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is associated with poor outcomes in elderly patients. However, current surgical risk assessment tools for cardiovascular surgery do not include the impact of sarcopenia. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess whether the psoas muscle index, a numerical score used to assess sarcopenia, is associated with outcomes in elderly patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: This nested case-control study evaluated patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent elective cardiovascular surgery and were admitted to the intensive care unit at Jichi Medical University, Saitama Medical Center between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017. The case group (poor outcomes) included patients who either died or were transferred to a rehabilitation facility postoperatively. The control group (good outcomes) included patients who were discharged postoperatively. Clinical factors likely to affect patient outcomes were assessed, and the characteristics of the two outcome groups were compared using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 183 patients were evaluated; among them, 137 and 46 patients were categorized to the good and poor outcome groups, respectively. The psoas muscle index was significantly associated with outcome (odds ratio: 0.25; 95% confidence interval: 0.14 - 0.43; P < 0.001). A psoas muscle index cut-off of 3.24 had a specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 0.86, 0.63, 0.58, and 0.87, respectively, for predicting worse outcome at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The psoas muscle index was strongly associated with discharge to home in patients aged ≥ 75 years who underwent elective cardiovascular surgery. This finding suggests that the psoas muscle index might be useful in identifying the eligibility of older patients for cardiovascular surgery.

Septic shock with emphysematous cholecystitis and disseminated infection caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae capsular genotype K2-ST65 in a Japanese man with diabetes mellitus: A case report.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae capsular genotypes K1 and K2 are common pathogens responsible for community-acquired liver abscesses and invasive infections especially in East Asia. We report a Japanese man with diabetes mellitus who rapidly developed emphysematous cholecystitis and fulminant disseminated infection with life-threatening multiple organ-system failure due to K. pneumoniae K2 strains belonging to sequence type 65. In East Asia, clinicians should be aware of fulminant infections caused by hypervirulent K2 strains in patients with community-acquired K. pneumoniae infections. Further epidemiological studies are warranted to elucidate the clinical features associated with the virulence K. pneumoniae K2 strains.

Validity of an under-mattress sensor for objective sleep measurement in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Considering the adverse effects of sleep disturbance in critical care settings, accurate assessment could aid therapy; however, methodological inadequacies mean that no viable option is currently available. Research in healthy population has recently shown that a non-wearable sleep measurement device placed under the mattress of the bed could be beneficial in intensive care settings. Therefore, we aimed to validate this device compared with polysomnography (PSG) and to assess how it related to subjective sleep evaluations. METHODS: This observational study measured the sleep of critically ill adult patients. The primary goal was to validate the Nemuri SCAN (NSCAN; Paramount Bed Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) against the reference standard PSG for 24 h. The secondary goal was to evaluate the association between the objective parameters obtained from NSCAN and PSG and the subjective report data obtained using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) for the nighttime. RESULTS: Eleven participants were evaluated. The median of the total sleep time scored by PSG was 456.0 (353.0-517.5) min during the nighttime and 305.0 (186.2-542.5) min during the daytime. PSG over 24 h revealed significant decreases in restorative sleep, with excessive daytime sleep, but with a normal quantity of nighttime sleep. The agreement, sensitivity, and specificity rates (with 95% confidence intervals) for the NSCAN compared with PSG were 68.4% (67.9-69.0%), 90.1% (89.7-90.6%), and 38.7% (37.9-39.7%), respectively. The median RCSQ value when subjectively evaluating nighttime sleep was 68.0 (26.3-83.5); this showed no correlation with the NSCAN sleep parameters, despite a positive correlation with the ratio of the stage N2 isolated or combined with restorative sleep in the PSG assessment. CONCLUSIONS: NSCAN had moderate agreement, high sensitivity, and poor specificity in intensive care settings, which is most likely due to its inability to identify immobile wakefulness often observed in critically ill patients or sleep depth. This remains a barrier to its use in the assessment of subjective sleep quality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This investigation was part of an interventional trial registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network Individual Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000026350, http://www.umin.ac.jp/icdr/index-j.html) on March 1, 2017.

Frequency of vital sign measurement among intubated patients in the general ward and nurses' attitudes toward vital sign measurement.

PURPOSE: The lack of recognition of respiratory distress may result in emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. However, few studies have examined the differences in the frequency of vital sign measurement between patients with and without emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the differences in the frequency of vital sign measurements between patients with and without emergency tracheal intubation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study of unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from the general wards between December 2015 and February 2017. This study included patients with emergency medical intubations in the general ward who were then transferred to the ICU. Vital signs measured within 24 hours prior to ICU admission were compared between patients who did and did not require emergency tracheal intubation in the general ward. A survey was also conducted to explore the nurses' attitudes toward vital sign measurements. RESULTS: Compared with other vital signs, the respiratory rate was significantly less frequently measured. Moreover, the frequency of respiratory rate measurement was lower in the 38 patients who were intubated than in the 102 patients who were not intubated in the general ward (P=0.07). The survey revealed that 54% of the participating nurses considered assessment of the respiratory rate as the most troublesome nursing task and ~15% of nurses did not routinely measure respiratory rates. CONCLUSION: Respiratory rate was less frequently assessed in deteriorating patients in the general ward, possibly because it was considered a troublesome task.

Mortality and detailed characteristics of pre-ICU qSOFA-negative patients with suspected sepsis: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scores have limited utility in early prognostication in high-mortality populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between pre-ICU qSOFA scores and in-hospital mortality among patients admitted to the ICU with suspected sepsis. This study also aimed to describe detailed clinical characteristics of qSOFA-negative (< 2) patients. METHODS: This single center, observational study, conducted in a Japanese tertiary care teaching hospital between May 2012 and June 2016, enrolled all consecutive adult patients admitted to the ICU with suspected sepsis. We assessed pre-ICU qSOFA scores with the most abnormal vital signs during the 24-h period before ICU admission. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality censored at 90 days. We analyzed the association between pre-ICU qSOFA scores and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Among 185 ICU patients with suspected sepsis, 14.1% (26/185) of patients remained qSOFA-negative at the time of ICU admission and 29.2% (54/185) of patients died while in hospital. In-hospital mortality was similar between the groups (qSOFA-positive [≥ 2]: 30.2% [48/159] vs qSOFA-negative: 23.1% [6/26], p = 0.642). The Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed that being qSOFA-positive was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 0.56-3.22, p = 0.506). Bloodstream infection, immunosuppression, and hematologic malignancy were observed more frequently in qSOFA-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Among ICU patients with suspected sepsis, we could not find a strong association between pre-ICU qSOFA scores and in-hospital mortality. Our study suggested high mortality and bacterial diversity in pre-ICU qSOFA-negative patients.

The clinical practice guideline for the management of ARDS in Japan.

BACKGROUND: The Japanese Society of Respiratory Care Medicine and the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine provide here a clinical practice guideline for the management of adult patients with ARDS in the ICU. METHOD: The guideline was developed applying the GRADE system for performing robust systematic reviews with plausible recommendations. The guideline consists of 13 clinical questions mainly regarding ventilator settings and drug therapies (the last question includes 11 medications that are not approved for clinical use in Japan). RESULTS: The recommendations for adult patients with ARDS include: we suggest against early tracheostomy (GRADE 2C), we suggest using NPPV for early respiratory management (GRADE 2C), we recommend the use of low tidal volumes at 6-8 mL/kg (GRADE 1B), we suggest setting the plateau pressure at 30cmH20 or less (GRADE2B), we suggest using PEEP within the range of plateau pressures less than or equal to 30cmH2O, without compromising hemodynamics (Grade 2B), and using higher PEEP levels in patients with moderate to severe ARDS (Grade 2B), we suggest using protocolized methods for liberation from mechanical ventilation (Grade 2D), we suggest prone positioning especially in patients with moderate to severe respiratory dysfunction (GRADE 2C), we suggest against the use of high frequency oscillation (GRADE 2C), we suggest the use of neuromuscular blocking agents in patients requiring mechanical ventilation under certain circumstances (GRADE 2B), we suggest fluid restriction in the management of ARDS (GRADE 2A), we do not suggest the use of neutrophil elastase inhibitors (GRADE 2D), we suggest the administration of steroids, equivalent to methylprednisolone 1-2mg/kg/ day (GRADE 2A), and we do not recommend other medications for the treatment of adult patients with ARDS (GRADE1B; inhaled/intravenous ß2 stimulants, prostaglandin E1, activated protein C, ketoconazole, and lisofylline, GRADE 1C; inhaled nitric oxide, GRADE 1D; surfactant, GRADE 2B; granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, N-acetylcysteine, GRADE 2C; Statin.). CONCLUSIONS: This article was translated from the Japanese version originally published as the ARDS clinical practice guidelines 2016 by the committee of ARDS clinical practice guideline (Tokyo, 2016, 293p, available from http://www.jsicm.org/ARDSGL/ARDSGL2016.pdf). The original article, written for Japanese healthcare providers, provides points of view that are different from those in other countries.

The Sedative Effect of Propranolol on Critically Ill Patients: A Case Series.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have examined the effectiveness of alpha-2 adrenergic agonists for controlling delirium and agitation. Propranolol, a non-selective beta-adrenergic antagonist with good penetration of the blood-brain barrier, has not been investigated for this purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who were prescribed propranolol in our Medical Surgical ICU from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2013. We recorded the sedation level and daily dose of sedatives, analgesics, and antipsychotics administered each day for 6 days after starting propranolol, and compared them to the day before starting propranolol. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients met inclusion criteria. Thirty-eight episodes met exclusion criteria, leaving 27 patients (31 episodes). The administration of propranolol was associated with significant reductions in fentanyl equivalents (65%, p = 0.009), midazolam equivalents (57%, p = 0.048), propofol (16%, p = 0.009), and haloperidol (44%, p = 0.024) on day 2 after starting propranolol compared with baseline. A stratified analysis showed that these decreases were seen regardless of clinical improvement or deterioration. CONCLUSION: The use of propranolol was associated with a significant reduction in doses of sedatives and analgesia. Further studies are needed to determine whether propranolol may be a useful adjuvant for managing delirium and agitation in the ICU.

Long-Term Survival in Patients With Acute Kidney Injury After Acute Type A Aortic Dissection Repair.

BACKGROUND: Although acute kidney injury (AKI) is known as a serious complication after operation for acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD), the long-term impact of AKI remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the long-term survival in patients with AKI after operation for AAAD. METHODS: This study included 403 patients who underwent operation for AAAD from 1990 to 2011 at Jichi Medical University, Saitama Medical Center. Postoperative AKI was identified according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were modeled to analyze the association between the AKI stage and postoperative long-term survival. RESULTS: Of 403 patients, 181 (44.9%) experienced postoperative AKI. Kaplan-Meier estimates for long-term survival were significantly different among patients without AKI and patients with stage 1, 2, and 3 AKI (p < 0.001). Hazard ratios of long-term survival for patients with stages 1, 2, and 3 AKI compared with patients without AKI were 1.38 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84 to 2.26), 1.82 (95% CI: 0.95 to 3.51), and 3.79 (95% CI: 1.95 to 7.37), respectively. More patients with AKI died because of cardiovascular disease after discharge than patients without AKI (1.8% versus 6.0%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Stage 3 AKI is significantly associated with lower long-term survival after operation for AAAD. Patient follow-up after discharge that focuses on cardiovascular issues may benefit patients who survive AKI after AAAD operation.

Lower heart rate in the early postoperative period does not correlate with long-term outcomes after repair of type A acute aortic dissection.

Little evidence exists regarding the need for a reduction in postoperative heart rate after repair of type A acute aortic dissection. This single-center retrospective study was conducted to determine if lower heart rate during the early postoperative phase is associated with improved long-term outcomes after surgery for patients with type A acute aortic dissection. We reviewed 434 patients who underwent aortic repair between 1990 and 2011. Based on the average heart rate on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, and 7, 434 patients were divided into four groups, less than 70, 70-79, 80-89, and greater than 90 beats per minute. The mean age was 63.3 ± 12.1 years. During a median follow-up of 52 months (range 16-102), 10-year survival in all groups was 67%, and the 10-year aortic event-free rate was 79%. The probability of survival and being aortic event-free using Kaplan-Meier estimates reveal that there is no significant difference when stratified by heart rate. Cox proportional regression analysis for 10-year mortality shows that significant predictors of mortality are age [Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.06; p = 0.001] and perioperative stroke (HR 2.30; 95% CI 1.18-4.50; p = 0.024). Neither stratified heart rate around the time of surgery nor beta-blocker use at the time of discharge was significant. There is no association between stratified heart rate in the perioperative period with long-term outcomes after repair of type A acute aortic dissection. These findings need clarification with further clinical trials.

Low prevalence of active cytomegalovirus infection in a cardiovascular intensive care unit.

Active cytomegalovirus infection is not uncommon in critically ill non-immunosuppressed patients. We conducted a preliminary observational study to determine the prevalence of active cytomegalovirus infection in cardiovascular surgical patients. One hundred patients admitted to the intensive care unit following cardiovascular surgery were enrolled between January 2010 and May 2010. Four patients (4%) were positive for serum pp65 antigens, though cytomegalovirus-positive serology (immunoglobulin G, IgG) was found in 98 patients (98%) including those four patients. Active cardiac diseases and their operative procedures including cardiopulmonary bypass may not be significant risk factors for active cytomegalovirus infection unless systemic derangements are also present.

Utility of the Penn classification in predicting outcomes of surgery for acute type a aortic dissection.

The Penn classification, a risk assessment system for acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD), is based on preoperative ischemic conditions. We investigated whether Penn classes predict outcomes after surgery for AAAD. Three hundred fifty-one patients with DeBakey type I AAAD treated surgically, January 1997 to January 2011, were divided into 4 groups per Penn class: Aa (no ischemia, n = 187), Ab (localized ischemia with branch malperfusion, n = 67), Ac (generalized ischemia with circulatory collapse, n = 46), and Abc (localized and generalized ischemia, n = 51). Early and late outcomes were compared between groups. In-hospital mortality was 3% (6 of 187) for Penn Aa, 6% (4 of 67) for Penn Ab, 17% (8 of 46) for Penn Ac, and 22% (11 of 51) for Penn Abc. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed Penn classes Ac and Abc, operation time >6 hours, and entry in the descending thoracic aorta to be risk factors for in-hospital mortality. Incidences of neurologic, respiratory, and hepatic complications differed between groups. Five-year cumulative survival was 85% in the Penn Aa group, 74% in the Penn Ab group (p = 0.027 vs Penn Aa), 78% in the Penn Ac group, and 67% in the Penn Abc group (p <0.001 vs Penn Aa). In conclusion, morbidity and mortality are high in patients with generalized ischemia. The Penn classification appears to be a useful risk assessment system for AAAD, predictive of outcomes.

Impaired subendocardial wall thickening and post-systolic shortening are signs of critical myocardial ischemia in patients with flow-limiting coronary stenosis.

BACKGROUND: The early diagnosis of myocardial ischemia is still challenging. The aim of the present study was to determine whether subendocardial hypokinesis and post-systolic contraction could be early markers of myocardial ischemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-one consecutive patients with flow-limiting severe coronary stenosis but without visually abnormal left ventricular wall motion underwent quantitative echocardiography. Myocardial strain was measured using layer-by-layer analysis in severely hypoperfused segments. Radial strain (RS) was measured in the subendocardial, subepicardial, and total wall (innerRS, outerRS, and totalRS, respectively). Circumferential strain (CS) was also measured as 3 separate layers: subendocardial, mid-layer, and subepicardial layers (innerCS, midCS, and outerCS, respectively). Post-systolic shortening (PSS) was defined as the peak strain after end systole, and post-systolic strain index (PSI) was calculated as PSS divided by end-systolic strain. TotalRS was similar between ischemic and normally perfused segments, but innerRS and inner/outer RS ratio were significantly smaller in the ischemic segments than in corresponding segments in healthy subjects. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified an optimum cut-off for PSI of 0.6. The combined criteria of inner/outer RS ratio <1.0 and PSI >0.6 achieved 95% specificity for the presence of flow-limiting stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Combined assessment of both subendocardial contractile impairment and PSS is very useful in identifying a severely hypoperfused left ventricular wall even without visual wall motion abnormality.

Intracranial hemorrhage associated with cerebrospinal fluid drainage during thoraco-abdominal aortic surgery.

A 69-year-old woman underwent thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair with cerebrospinal fluid drainage (CSFD). The initial CSF pressure was elevated to approximately 25 cmH(2)O, and clear CSF was continuously drained at a rate of 30 ml/h with the drainage level at 10-20 cmH(2)O. The CSF became bloody when cardiopulmonary bypass was terminated. The total volume of CSF drained was approximately 300 ml at the conclusion of the 638 min operation. Three hours later, she suffered a series of generalized seizures because of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). It was suggested that excessive drainage of CSF was associated with ICH. Meticulous control of drainage volume combined with standard pressure-based management may be the key to avoiding these complications.