Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been called the ‘silent epidemic’ of modern times, and is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children and young adults in both developed and developing nations worldwide. In recent years, the treatment of TBI has undergone a paradigm shift. The management of severe TBI is ideally based on protocol-based guidelines provided by the Brain Trauma Foundation. The aims and objectives of its management are prophylaxis and prompt management of intracranial hypertension and secondary brain injury, maintenance of cerebral perfusion pressure, and ensuring adequate oxygen delivery to injured brain tissue. In this review, the authors discuss protocol-based approaches to the management of severe TBI as per recent guidelines.

A bstract Background The novel coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, was first described in December 2019 as a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. It has since been declared a pandemic, with substantial mortality. Materials and methods In our case series, we describe the clinical presentation, characteristics, and outcomes of our initial experience of managing 24 critically ill COVID-19 patients at a designated COVID-19 ICU in Western India. Results Median age of the patients was 54 years, and 58% were males. All patients presented with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); however, only 37.5% failed trials of awake proning and required mechanical ventilation. Patients who received mechanical ventilation typically matched the H-phenotype of COVID-19 pneumonia, and 55.5% of these patients were successfully extubated. Conclusion The most common reason for ICU admission in our series of 24 patients with severe COVID-19 was hypoxemic respiratory failure, which responded well to conservative measures such as awake proning and oxygen supplementation. Mortality in our case series was 16.7%. How to cite this article Shukla U, Chavali S, Mukta P, Mapari A, Vyas A. Initial Experience of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 in Western India: A Case Series. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(7):509–513.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the world including India. Management of patients complicated with neurological illness requiring neurocritical care is challenging during this time. Patients with neurological disease may develop COVID-19 infection or there could be independent neurological manifestations of COVID-19. Critically ill neurological patients are more vulnerable to contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Also, neurological patients with comorbidities and multisystem involvement are at increased risk of adverse outcomes. Though SARS-CoV-2 predominantly affects the pulmonary system, it can complicate the assessment and management of neurological patients. With increasing COVID-19 numbers, the hospitalizations of both non-COVID and COVID-19 neurological patients will bring significant strain on the hospital and neurocritical care facilities. Streamlining work pattern, understanding the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and its impact on neurological function, establishing general and specific neurocritical care management strategies, ensuring protection and well-being of health care providers, and implementing effective infection control policies are key elements of efficient neurocritical care management during this pandemic. This joint position statement and advisory on the practice of neurocritical care during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Neurocritical Care Society of India and the Indian Society of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care has been developed to guide clinicians providing care to the critically ill neurological patients in the neurocritical care unit during the current pandemic. As the situation from this novel disease is rapidly evolving, readers must constantly update themselves with newly emerging evidence to provide the best possible care to the critically ill neurological patients.

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Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a surgical procedure used to manage various cervical spine disorders including spondylosis, prolapsed intervertebral disc, trauma and degenerative disc disease. However, this procedure may be associated with significant post-operative complications. In this study, we aimed to analyse the prevalence of post-operative complications following ACDF. Methods: Perioperative data of 128 patients who underwent ACDF surgery at our institute over a 3-year period was analysed. Patients who underwent previous neck surgeries were excluded. Results: Single level ACDF without cervical plating was observed to be the most commonly performed surgical procedure (53%). Dysphagia was the most common (16.4%) post-operative complaint, followed by neurological deterioration (7.9%). One patient suffered pharyngeal perforation and presented postoperatively with subcutaneous emphysema and haemoptysis. Conclusions: Post-operative dyphagia and worsening of pre-existing myelopathy were the most common complications following ACDF, and multilevel surgery was identified as the most significant risk factor. The early detection and prompt management may help reduce mortality and morbidity in such patients.

We report a case of diplopia due to reversible abducens nerve block associated with extraoral maxillary blockade of the trigeminal nerve. This complication occurs despite precautions such as aspiration and confirmation of needle tip position with nerve stimulation. Knowledge of this condition and its potential cause should alert the physician to the importance of appropriate injection technique and an understanding of the management protocol.

Background:This study was conducted to compare the effects of intrathecal magnesium and intravenous infusion of