Severe thrombocytopenia associated to bevacizumab in a patient with scleroderma, gastrointestinal angiodysplasias and refractory gastrointestinal bleeding.

This case report discusses the medical history of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with scleroderma and diffuse gastrointestinal angiodysplasia. The patient received bevacizumab (BVZ) therapy to address gastrointestinal bleeding that was unresponsive to endoscopic treatment. Subsequently, she developed severe thrombocytopenia. Although there were suspicions of an immune-mediated mechanism resulting from BVZ treatment, the laboratory results did not provide conclusive evidence. The patient underwent transfusions, received gamma globulin, and was treated with Romiplostim. Over time, her platelet levels gradually improved, and the bleeding was successfully controlled. It's worth noting that BVZ-induced thrombocytopenia is a relatively rare yet severe adverse effect. Recognizing and understanding the mechanisms behind thrombocytopenia is essential for developing safer treatment approaches. Further research is required to identify potential risk factors associated with this condition.

Novel EEG Metric Correlates with Intracranial Pressure in an Animal Model.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial pressure (ICP) can be continuously and reliably measured using invasive monitoring through an external ventricular catheter or an intraparenchymal probe. We explore electroencephalography (EEG) to identify a reliable real-time noninvasive ICP correlate. METHODS: Using a previously described porcine model of intracranial hypertension, we examined the cross correlation between ICP time series and the slope of the EEG power spectral density as described by ϕ. We calculated ϕ as tan-1 (slope of power spectral density) and normalized it by π, where slope is that of the power-law fit (log frequency vs. log power) to the power spectral density of the EEG signal. Additionally, we explored the relationship between the ϕ time series and cerebral perfusion pressure. A total of 11 intracranial hypertension episodes across three different animals were studied. RESULTS: The mean correlation between ϕ angle and ICP was - 0.85 (0.15); the mean correlation with cerebral perfusion pressure was 0.92 (0.02). Significant correlation occurred at zero lag. In the absence of intracranial hypertension, the absolute value of the ϕ angle was greater than 0.9 (mean 0.936 radians). However, during extreme intracranial hypertension causing cerebral circulatory arrest, the ϕ angle is on average below 0.9 radians (mean 0.855 radians). CONCLUSIONS: EEG ϕ angle is a promising real-time noninvasive measure of ICP/cerebral perfusion using surface electroencephalography.

Minimally Invasive Drainage of Intracerebral Hemorrhage. A South American Experience with the MISTIE Procedure.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common subtype of stroke but is associated with greater rates of disability or mortality. One of the factors of a poor prognosis is large hematoma volume. The MISTIE III trial with the aim of decreasing clot size showed that the greater the ICH reduction, the higher likelihood of lower mortality without a net increase in the proportion of patients with severe disability. Our aim is to describe our experience with treating selective patients with ICH per the MISTIE trial protocol in a university hospital in Argentina during 4 years. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of consecutive patients with ICH treated at a single university tertiary-care center from 2017 to 2021 with the MISTIE protocol. RESULTS: We deployed this procedure in 7 patients with a median age of 61 years, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 14, an ICH volume of 35 mL and median ICH score of 2. Five of 7 patients achieved the target goal of hematoma reduction; 4 of the patients had a total independence level and 1 needed minimal help at 12 months after discharge. Five patients had a good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-3 and extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score 4-8) and 2 patients had died but neither because of consequences of thrombolysis of the intracerebral hemorrhage. We did not find bleeding complications during catheter placement, alteplase infusion, or after catheter removal. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure can be carried out safely in Latin American centers that have experience in managing neurocritical patients.