Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Prospective Multicenter Study in a Middle-Income Country.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with high mortality and long-term functional impairment. Data on clinical management and functional outcomes from developing countries are scarce. We aimed to define patient profiles and clinical practices and evaluate long-term outcomes after SAH in a middle-income country. METHODS: This was a prospective study including consecutive adult patients admitted with SAH to two reference centers in Brazil from January 2016 to February 2020. The primary outcome was functional status at 6 months using the modified Rankin Scale. Mixed multivariable analysis was performed to determine the relationship between clinical variables and functional outcomes. RESULTS: From 471patients analyzed, the median time from symptom onset to arrival at a study center was 4 days (interquartile range 0-9). Median age was 55 years (interquartile range 46-62) and 353 (75%) patients were women. A total of 426 patients (90%) were transferred from nonspecialized general hospitals, initial computed tomography revealed thick hemorrhage in 73% of patients (modified Fisher score of 3 or 4), and 136 (29%) had poor clinical grade (World Federation of Neurological Surgeons score of 4 or 5). A total of 312 (66%) patients underwent surgical clipping, and 119 (25%) underwent endovascular coiling. Only 34 patients (7%) underwent withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining therapy during their hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality was 24%. A total of 187 (40%) patients had an unfavorable long-term functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score of 4 to 6). Factors associated with unfavorable outcome were age (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.08), hypertension (adjusted OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.04-3.16), poor clinical grade (adjusted OR 4.92, 95% CI 2.85-8.48), external ventricular drain (adjusted OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.31-6.24), postoperative deterioration (adjusted OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.32-4.13), cerebral infarction (adjusted OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.81-5.52), rebleeding (adjusted OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.13-7.69), and sepsis (adjusted OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.42-5.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that SAH management in a middle-income country diverges significantly from published cohorts and current guidelines, despite comparable clinical profiles on presentation and admission to high-volume referral centers. Earlier aneurysm occlusion and increased use of endovascular therapy could potentially reduce modifiable in-hospital complications and improve functional outcomes in Brazil.

Effect of Convalescent Plasma in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19: An Observational Study.

Background: Convalescent plasma is a potential therapeutic option for critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), yet its efficacy remains to be determined. The aim was to investigate the effects of convalescent plasma (CP) in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: This was a single-center prospective observational study conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from March 17th to May 30th, with final follow-up on June 30th. We included 113 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. Primary outcomes were time to clinical improvement and survival within 28 days. Secondary outcomes included behavior of biomarkers and viral loads. Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional-hazards regression using propensity score with inverse-probability weighing were performed. Results: 41 patients received CP and 72 received standard of care (SOC). Median age was 61 years (IQR 48-68), disease duration was 10 days (IQR 6-13), and 86% were mechanically ventilated. At least 29 out of 41CP-recipients had baseline IgG titers ≥ 1:1,080. Clinical improvement within 28 days occurred in 19 (46%) CP-treated patients, as compared to 23 (32%) in the SOC group [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.91 (0.49-1.69)]. There was no significant change in 28-day mortality (CP 49% vs. SOC 56%; aHR 0.90 [0.52-1.57]). Biomarker assessment revealed reduced inflammatory activity and increased lymphocyte count after CP. Conclusions: In this study, CP was not associated with clinical improvement or increase in 28-day survival. However, our study may have been underpowered and included patients with high IgG titers and life-threatening disease. Clinical Trial Registration: The study protocol was retrospectively registered at the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) with the identification RBR-4vm3yy (http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br).

Incidence and impact of sepsis on long-term outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is an acute cerebrovascular disease associated with high mortality and long-term functional impairment among survivors. Systemic inflammatory responses after acute injury and nosocomial infections are frequent complications, making the management of these patients challenging. Here, we hypothesized that sepsis might be associated with early and long-term mortality and functional outcomes. Our objective was to define the incidence of sepsis, diagnosed prospectively with the Sepsis-3 criteria, and to determine its impact on mortality and functional outcomes of patients with SAH. METHODS: We prospectively included all adult patients with aneurysmal SAH admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a reference center between April 2016 and May 2018. Daily clinical and laboratory follow-up data were analyzed during the first 14 days, with data collected on sepsis according to the Sepsis-3 criteria. The main outcome was the functional outcome using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), which was assessed at hospital discharge and 3, 6 and 12 months post-discharge. RESULTS: In total, 149 patients were enrolled. The incidence of sepsis was 28%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that death or functional dependence (defined as an mRS score of 4 to 6) at hospital discharge was independently associated with sepsis (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.16-9.96, p = 0.026) even after controlling for World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) Scale (OR 4.66, 95% CI 1.69-12.88, p = 0.003), hydrocephalus (OR 4.55, 95% CI 1.61-12.85, p = 0.004) and DCI (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.39-10.74, p = 0.01). Long-term follow-up mortality rates were significantly different in the septic and nonseptic groups (log-rank test p < 0.0001). The mortality rate of septic patients was 52.5%, and that of nonseptic patients was 16%. CONCLUSION: Sepsis plays a significant role in the outcomes of patients with SAH, affecting both mortality and long-term functional outcomes. Combining high-level neurocritical care management of neurological complications and the optimal diagnosis and management of sepsis may effectively reduce secondary brain injury and improve patients' outcomes after SAH.