In this SAH population, the majority of seizures happened before medical presentation. In-hospital seizures were rare and occurred more than 7 days postictus for patients receiving AED prophylaxis. The vast majority of putative clinical predictors did not help predict the occurrence of seizures; only the thickness of the cisternal clot was of value in predicting seizures. Patient selection for and the efficacy and timing of AED prophylaxis after SAH deserve prospective evaluation.

The objectives of this study were to describe the sedative, neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) and reversal agents utilized in adult intensive care units across the United States and determine the adherence to American College of Critical Care Medicine and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) guidelines. In addition, the authors assessed the use of written protocols, criteria used for selecting these agents, and monitoring practices. Questionnaires were mailed to attending physician members of SCCM in the spring of 1998. A cover letter was enclosed that explained the purpose of the survey asking the respondent to forward the questionnaire to a colleague if unable to complete. Four-hundred fifty-seven questionnaires were returned representing 393 different institutions for a response rate of 50.4% (393/780). Respondents were physicians (91.2%) practicing in a community (49.7%) or university teaching hospital (38.3%). The sedative agents used most often were opioids and benzodiazepines for >72 hours, and NMBA utilized were vecuronium and pancuronium for >24 hours. The most often cited indications for sedatives were agitation, anxiety/fear, and facilitation of intubation and maintenance of mechanical ventilation for NMBA. Only 32.6% used written protocols for sedatives and 46.8% for NMBA. Decisions regarding agent selection were based on clinician preference and experience and agent duration of action. Seventy-eight percent monitored sedative use primarily with the Glasgow Coma Scale and the modified Ramsay score. Monitoring of NMBA was used more frequently (91.3%) with peripheral nerve stimulation. The most common reversal agents used were naloxone and flumazenil for adverse drug effects. While many of the respondents indicated they used morphine and lorazepam for long-term sedation, the majority utilized midazolam and propofol for >24 hours despite the recommendation of SCCM. Vecuronium was prescribed more routinely than pancuronium. The number of institutions utilizing protocols for any of these agents was low; instead, decisions were based on clinician preference.

The trend was toward decreased nephrotoxicity in patients treated with ODA compared with TDA, and at any given cumulative AUC, the risk of toxicity was lower for ODA.

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The ultrashort duration of action of remifentanil allowed easy performance of frequent neurological examinations in the neurosurgical intensive care unit. No patient experienced deleterious hemodynamic or neurological effects as a result of remifentanil use.

It is hypothesized that, in the presence of concomitant adult respiratory distress syndrome, nimodipine increased ventilation/perfusion ratio mismatch, through its direct vasodilatory effects on the pulmonary artery, and possibly interfered with the reflex hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction necessary to maintain adequate oxygenation for this patient. Clinicians should carefully monitor the oxygenation status of patients when nimodipine therapy is initiated.

Large, randomized, double-blind trials on the use of urokinase for IVH are not available, and the studies published in the literature are not without flaws. However, it appears that in the current case-control reports, administration of urokinase through ventricular catheters is safe and is a promising alternative to current medical or surgical management. Investigation of other fibrinolytic agents such as recombinant alteplase is available, but is even more limited. Further trials will help to determine the best dosage and duration of urokinase therapy, as well as the overall efficacy of this new treatment option.

No abstract