Acute evacuation of 54 intracerebral hematomas (aICH) during the microsurgical clipping of a ruptured middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysm-illustration of the individual clinical courses and outcomes with a serial brain CT/MRI panel until 12 months.

PURPOSE: In aneurysmal intracerebral hemorrhage (aICH), our review showed the lack of the patient's individual (i) timeline panels and (ii) serial brain CT/MRI slice panels through the aICH evacuation and neurointensive care until the final brain tissue outcome. METHODS: Our retrospective cohort consists of 54 consecutive aICH patients from a defined population who acutely underwent the clipping of a middle cerebral artery bifurcation saccular aneurysm (Mbif sIA) with the aICH evacuation at Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) from 2010 to 2019. We constructed the patient's individual timeline panels since the emergency call and serial brain CT/MRI slice panels through the aICH evacuation and neurointensive care until the final brain tissue outcome. The patients were indicated by numbers (1.-54.) in the pseudonymized panels, tables, results, and discussion. RESULTS: The aICH volumes on KUH admission (median 46 cm3) plotted against the time from the emergency call to the evacuation (median 8 hours) associated significantly with the rebleeds (n=25) and the deaths (n=12). The serial CT/MRI slice panels illustrated the aICHs, intraventricular hemorrhages (aIVHs), residuals after the aICH evacuations, perihematomal edema (PHE), delayed cerebral injury (DCI), and in the 42 survivors, the clinical outcome (mRS) and the brain tissue outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Regarding aICH evacuations, serial brain CT/MRI panels present more information than words, figures, and graphs. Re-bleeds associated with larger aICH volumes and worse outcomes. Swift logistics until the sIA occlusion with aICH evacuation is required, also in duty hours and weekends. Intraoperative CT is needed to illustrate the degree of aICH evacuation. PHE may evoke uncontrollable intracranial pressure (ICP) in spite of the acute aICH volume reduction.

Should individual timeline and serial CT/MRI panels of all patients be presented in acute brain insult cohorts? A pilot study of 45 patients with decompressive craniectomy after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Our review of acute brain insult articles indicated that the patients' individual (i) timeline panels with the defined time points since the emergency call and (ii) serial brain CT/MRI slice panels through the neurointensive care until death or final brain tissue outcome at 12 months or later are not presented. METHODS: We retrospectively constructed such panels for the 45 aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients with a secondary decompressive craniectomy (DC) after the acute admission to neurointensive care at Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) from a defined population from 2005 to 2018. The patients were indicated by numbers (1.-45.) in the pseudonymized panels, tables, results, and discussion. The timelines contained up to ten defined time points on a logarithmic time axis until death ([Formula: see text]; 56%) or 3 years ([Formula: see text]; 44%). The brain CT/MRI panels contained a representative slice from the following time points: SAH diagnosis, after aneurysm closure, after DC, at about 12 months (20 survivors). RESULTS: The timelines indicated re-bleeds and allowed to compare the times elapsed between any two time points, in terms of workflow swiftness. The serial CT/MRI slices illustrated the presence and course of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), perihematomal edema, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), hydrocephalus, delayed brain injury, and, in the 20 (44%) survivors, the brain tissue outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The pseudonymized timeline panels and serial brain imaging panels, indicating the patients by numbers, allowed the presentation and comparison of individual clinical courses. An obvious application would be the quality control in acute or elective medicine for timely and equal access to clinical care.

Clinical condition of 120 patients alive at 3 years after poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: To study the clinical condition of poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients alive at 3 years after neurointensive care. METHODS: Of the 769 consecutive aSAH patients from a defined population (2005-2015), 269 (35%) were in poor condition on admission: 145 (54%) with H&H 4 and 124 (46%) with H&H 5. Their clinical lifelines were re-constructed from the Kuopio Intracranial Aneurysm Database and Finnish nationwide registries. Of the 269 patients, 155 (58%) were alive at 14 days, 125 (46%) at 12 months, and 120 (45%) at 3 years. RESULTS: The 120 H&H 4-5 patients alive at 3 years form the final study population. On admission, 73% had H&H 4 but only 27% H&H 5, 59% intracerebral hematoma (ICH; median 22 cm3), and 26% intraventricular blood clot (IVH). The outcome was favorable (mRS 0-1) in 45% (54 patients: ICH 44%; IVH clot 31%; shunt 46%), moderate (mRS 2-3) in 30% (36 patients: ICH 64%; IVH clot 19%; shunt 42%), and unfavorable (mRS 4-5) in 25% (30 patients: ICH 80%; IVH clot 23%; shunt 50%). A total of 46% carried a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. ICH volume was a significant predictor of mRS at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Of poor-grade aSAH patients, 45% were alive at 3 years, even 27% of those extending to pain (H&H 5). Of the survivors, 75% were at least in moderate condition, while only 2.6% ended in hospice care. Consequently, we propose non-selected admission to neurointensive care (1) for a possibility of moderate outcome, and (2), in case of brain death, possibly improved organ donation rates.

Antipsychotic Use Among 1144 Patients After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background and Purpose- At acute phase and neurointensive care, patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) may become agitated or delirious. We found no previous studies on psychotic disorders or antipsychotic drug (APD) use by long-term aSAH survivors. We defined the APD use and its risk factors among 12-month survivors of aSAH in an Eastern Finnish population-based cohort with long-term follow-up. Methods- We analyzed APD use in 1144 consecutive patients with aSAH alive at 12 months of the Kuopio intracranial aneurysm patient and family database and their age, sex, and birth municipality matched controls (3:1; n=3432) from 1995 to 2013 and median follow-up of 9 years. Using the Finish nationwide health registries, we obtained drug purchase and hospital discharge data. Results- In total, 140 (12%) of the 1144 patients started APD use first time after aSAH (index date), in contrast to 145 (4%) of the 3432 matched population controls. The cumulative rate of starting APD was 6% at 1 year and 9% at 5 years, in contrast to 1% and 2% in the controls, respectively. The rates at 1 and 5 years were only 1% and 2% in the 489 patients with a good condition (modified Rankin Scale score, 0 or 1 at 12 months; no shunt, intracerebral hemorrhage, or intraventricular hemorrhage). Instead, the highest rate of APD use, 23% at 5 years was among the 192 patients shunted for hydrocephalus after aSAH. Eighty-eight (63%) of the 140 aSAH patients with APD use had also concomitant antidepressant or antiepileptic drug use. Conclusions- The 12-month survivors of aSAH were significantly more likely to be started on APD after aSAH than their matched population controls. These patients often used antidepressant and antiepileptic drugs concomitantly. The use of APDs strongly correlated with signs of brain injury after aSAH, with low use if no signs of significant brain injury were present.

Pantoprazole in ICU patients at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding-1-year mortality in the SUP-ICU trial.

BACKGROUND: The long-term effects of stress ulcer prophylaxis with pantoprazole are unknown in ICU patients. We report 1-year mortality outcome in the Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in the Intensive Care Unit (SUP-ICU) trial. METHODS: In the SUP-ICU trial, acutely admitted adult ICU patients at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding were randomised to intravenous pantoprazole 40 mg vs placebo (saline) once daily during their ICU stay. We assessed mortality at 1 year and did sensitivity analyses according to the trial protocol and statistical analysis plan. RESULTS: A total of 3261 of the 3291 patients with available data (99.1%) were followed up at 1 year after randomisation; 1635 were allocated to pantoprazole and 1626 to placebo. At 1 year after randomisation, 610 of 1635 patients (37.3%) had died in the pantoprazole group as compared with 601 of 1626 (37.0%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 1.01; 95% confidence interval 0.92-1.10). The results were consistent in the sensitivity analysis adjusted for baseline risk factors and in those of the per-protocol population. We did not observe heterogeneity in the effect of pantoprazole vs placebo on 1-year mortality in the predefined subgroups, that is, patients with and without shock, mechanical ventilation, liver disease, coagulopathy, high disease severity (SAPS II > 53) or in medical vs surgical ICU patients. CONCLUSION: We did not observe a difference in 1-year mortality among acutely admitted adult ICU patients with risk factors for gastrointestinal bleeding allocated to stress ulcer prophylaxis with pantoprazole or placebo during the ICU stay. (The SUP-ICU trial was funded by Innovation Fund Denmark and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02467621).

Identification of potential organ donors after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in a population-based neurointensive care in Eastern Finland.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the organ donation action in population-based neurointensive care of acute aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and to seek factors that would improve the identification of potential organ donors (PODs) and increase the donor conversion rate (DCR) after aSAH. METHODS: The Kuopio Intracranial Aneurysm Database, prospective since 1995, includes all aSAH patients admitted to the Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) from its defined Eastern Finnish catchment population. We analyzed 769 consecutive acute aSAH patients from 2005 to 2015, including their data from the Finnish Transplantation Unit and the national clinical registries. We analyzed PODs vs. actual donors among the 145 (19%) aSAH patients who died within 14 days of admission. Finland had implemented the national presumed consent (opt-out) within the study period in the end of 2010. RESULTS: We retrospectively identified 83 (57%) PODs while only 49 (34%) had become actual donors (total DCR 59%); the causes for non-donorship were 15/34 (44%) refusals of consent, 18/34 (53%) medical contraindications for donation, and 1/34 (3%) failure of recognition. In 2005-2010, there were 11 refusals by near relatives with DCR 52% (29/56) and only three in 2011-2015 with DCR 74% (20/27). Severe condition on admission (Hunt and Hess grade IV or V) independently associated with the eventual POD status. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 20% of all aSAH patients acutely admitted to neurointensive care from a defined catchment population died within 14 days, almost half from cardiopulmonary causes at a median age of 69 years. Of all aSAH patients, 11% were considered as potential organ donors (PODs). Donor conversion rate (DCR) was increased from 52 to 74% after the national presumed consent (opt-out). Implicitly, DCR among aSAH patients could be increased by admitting them to the intensive care regardless of dismal prognosis for the survival, along a dedicated organ donation program for the catchment population.

Hyperoxemia and long-term outcome after traumatic brain injury.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between hyperoxemia and outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is controversial. We sought to investigate the independent relationship between hyperoxemia and long-term mortality in patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. METHODS: The Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database was screened for mechanically ventilated patients with a moderate-to-severe TBI. Patients were categorized, according to the highest measured alveolar-arterial O2 gradient or the lowest measured PaO2 value during the first 24 hours of ICU admission, to hypoxemia (<10.0 kPa), normoxemia (10.0 to 13.3 kPa) and hyperoxemia (>13.3 kPa). We adjusted for markers of illness severity to evaluate the independent relationship between hyperoxemia and 6-month mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,116 patients were included in the study, of which 16% (n = 174) were hypoxemic, 51% (n = 567) normoxemic and 33% (n = 375) hyperoxemic. The total 6-month mortality was 39% (n = 435). A significant association between hyperoxemia and a decreased risk of mortality was found in univariate analysis (P = 0.012). However, after adjusting for markers of illness severity in a multivariate logistic regression model hyperoxemia showed no independent relationship with 6-month mortality (hyperoxemia vs. normoxemia OR 0.88, 95% CI 0. 63 to 1.22, P = 0.43; hyperoxemia vs. hypoxemia OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.50, P = 0.90). CONCLUSION: Hyperoxemia in the first 24 hours of ICU admission after a moderate-to-severe TBI is not predictive of 6-month mortality.

Long-term Risk of Epilepsy in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Survivors With Positive Family History: A Population-Based Follow-up Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a devastating form of stroke affecting the working-age population, where epilepsy is a common complication and major prognostic factor for increased morbidity in aSAH survivors. The objective of this analysis was to assess whether epilepsy in first-degree relatives is a risk of developing epilepsy after aSAH. METHODS: We used a region-specific database that includes all cases of unruptured and ruptured saccular intracranial aneurysm admitted to Kuopio University Hospital from its defined Eastern Finnish catchment population. We also retrieved data from Finnish national health registries for prescription drug purchases and reimbursement, hospital discharge, and cause of death and linked them to patients with aSAH, their first-degree relatives, and population controls matched 3:1 by age, sex, and birth municipality. Cox regression modeling and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used for analysis. RESULTS: We examined data for 760 consecutive 12-month survivors of aSAH, born in 1950 or after, with a first aSAH from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 2018. Of the 760 patients (median age, 47 years; 53% female; median follow-up, 11 years), 111 (15%) developed epilepsy at a median of 7 months (interquartile range, 2-14 months) after admission for aSAH. Of the 2,240 population controls and 4,653 first-degree relatives of patients with aSAH, 23 (0.9%) and 80 (1.7%), respectively, developed epilepsy during the follow-up period. Among 79 patients with epilepsy in first-degree relatives, 22 (28%) developed epilepsy after aSAH; by contrast, among 683 patients with no epilepsy in first-degree relatives, 89 (13%) developed epilepsy after aSAH. Having at least 1 relative with epilepsy was an independent risk factor of epilepsy after aSAH (hazard ratio, 2.44; 95% CI 1.51-3.95). Cumulative 1-year rates by first-degree relationship were 40% with 1 or more children with epilepsy, 38% with 1 or more affected parents, 5% with 1 or more affected siblings, and 10% with no relatives with epilepsy. DISCUSSION: Patients who developed epilepsy after aSAH were significantly more likely to have first-degree relatives with epilepsy than those who did not develop epilepsy after the aSAH.

The prevalence of cardiac complications and their impact on outcomes in patients with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious condition, and a myocardial injury or dysfunction could contribute to the outcome. We assessed the prevalence and prognostic impact of cardiac involvement in a cohort with SAH. This is a prospective observational multicenter study. We included 192 patients treated for non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. We performed ECG recordings, echocardiographic examinations, and blood sampling within 24 h of admission and on days 3 and 7 and at 90 days. The primary endpoint was the evidence of cardiac involvement at 90 days, and the secondary endpoint was to examine the prevalence of a myocardial injury or dysfunction. The median age was 54.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 48.0-64.0) years, 44.3% were male and the median World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) score was 2 (IQR 1-4). At day 90, 22/125 patients (17.6%) had left ventricular ejection fractions ≤ 50%, and 2/121 patients (1.7%) had evidence of a diastolic dysfunction as defined by mitral peak E-wave velocity by peak e' velocity (E/e') > 14. There was no prognostic impact from echocardiographic evidence of cardiac complications on neurological outcomes. The overall prevalence of cardiac dysfunction was modest. We found no demographic or SAH-related factors associated with 90 days cardiac dysfunction.

Lack of impact of polycystic kidney disease on the outcome of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a matched case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The authors set out to study whether autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), an established risk factor for intracranial aneurysms (IAs), affects the acute course and long-term outcome of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: The outcomes of 32 ADPKD patients with aSAH between 1980 and 2015 (median age 43 years; 50% women) were compared with 160 matched (age, sex, and year of aSAH) non-ADPKD aSAH patients in the prospectively collected Kuopio Intracranial Aneurysm Patient and Family Database. RESULTS: At 12 months, 75% of the aSAH patients with ADPKD versus 71% of the matched-control aSAH patients without ADPKD had good outcomes (Glasgow Outcome Scale score 4 or 5). There was no significant difference in condition at admission. Hypertension had been diagnosed before aSAH in 69% of the ADPKD patients versus 27% of controls (p < 0.001). Multiple IAs were present in 44% of patients in the ADPKD group versus 25% in the control group (p = 0.03). The most common sites of ruptured IAs were the anterior communicating artery (47% vs 29%, p = 0.05) and the middle cerebral artery bifurcation (28% vs 31%), and the median size was 6.0 mm versus 8.0 mm (p = 0.02). During the median follow-up of 11 years, a second aSAH occurred in 3 of 29 (10%) ADPKD patients and in 4 of 131 (3%) controls (p = 0.11). A fatal second aSAH due to a confirmed de novo aneurysm occurred in 2 (6%) of the ADPKD patients but in none of the controls (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of ADPKD patients with aSAH did not differ significantly from those of matched non-ADPKD aSAH patients. ADPKD patients had an increased risk of second aSAH from a de novo aneurysm, warranting long-term angiographic follow-up.

Early Moderate Hyperoxemia Does Not Predict Outcome After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Targeting hyperoxemia is common practice in neurocritical care settings, but the safety of hyperoxemia has been questioned. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the independent effect of hyperoxemia on outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: We included 432 patients with aneurysmal SAH on mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Arterial blood gas levels were calculated as time-weighted averages (TWAs) of all blood gas measurements during the first 24 hours in the ICU. Patients were categorized into 3 TWA-PaO2 bands (low, <97.5 mm Hg; intermediate, 97.5-150 mm Hg; high, ≥150 mm Hg). Outcome measures were unfavorable outcome at 3 months (Glasgow Outcome Scale score 1-3) and mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent effect of oxygen on outcome. RESULTS: Overall, 28% of patients died, and a total of 53% had an unfavorable outcome at 3 months. Patients with an unfavorable outcome had significantly higher TWA-PaO2 levels compared with patients with a favorable outcome (137 mm Hg vs 118 mm Hg, P < .001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated no significant association between TWA-PaO2 bands and unfavorable outcome (with intermediate PaO2 as a reference, odds ratio [OR] for low PaO2 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52-2.12, P = .89; OR for high PaO2: 1.09, 95% CI: 0.61-1.97, P = .77) or mortality (with intermediate PaO2 as reference, the OR for low PaO2 was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.30-1.46, P = .31), and the OR for high PaO2 was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.38-1.40, P = .34). CONCLUSION: Early moderate hyperoxemia may not increase or decrease the risk of a poor outcome in mechanically ventilated aneurysmal SAH patients.