Project description:BACKGROUND:Severe headaches, projectile vomiting, focal neurological deficits and early onset seizure are regarded as early warning symptoms of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Earlier diagnosis based on such warning symptoms theoretically would improve the clinical prognosis. However, it is still not clear whether the prognosis is correlated with early warning symptoms. Here, we reviewed warning symptoms and other predictive factors in the emergency room (ER) setting and examined their correlations with mortality. METHODS:Ninety saccular aneurysmal SAH cases were reviewed in a single medical center between January 2011 and December 2013. We examined differences in mortality rate related to warning symptoms, SAH scales, onset-to-ER time, hydrocephalus, and aneurysm size, location, and complexity. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the correlations of warning symptoms and other predictive factors with mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to calculate the area the under curve (AUC) of SAH mortality prediction tools. RESULTS:Warning headache, projectile vomiting, the Hunt and Hess scale, Fisher scale, World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grading scale, and modified WFNS (m-WFNS) scale, body mass index, aneurysm complexity and hydrocephalus were significantly different between the survivors and the decedents. The warning headache and WFNS grade were strongly correlated with mortality. The rate of prognostic prediction improved from 90.4% to 94.6% when warning headache was additionally evaluated. CONCLUSIONS:With growing healthcare costs and recognition of the value of palliative care, early identification via warning headache and a detailed clinical history review is necessary for cases of aSAH.
Project description:Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a worldwide health burden with high fatality and permanent disability rates. The overall prognosis depends on the volume of the initial bleed, rebleeding, and degree of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Cardiac manifestations and neurogenic pulmonary edema indicate the severity of SAH. The International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) reported a favorable neurological outcome with the endovascular coiling procedure compared with surgical clipping at the end of 1 year. The ISAT trial recruits were primarily neurologically good grade patients with smaller anterior circulation aneurysms, and therefore the results cannot be reliably extrapolated to larger aneurysms, posterior circulation aneurysms, patients presenting with complex aneurysm morphology, and poor neurological grades. The role of hypothermia is not proven to be neuroprotective according to a large randomized controlled trial, Intraoperative Hypothermia for Aneurysms Surgery Trial (IHAST II), which recruited patients with good neurological grades. Patients in this trial were subjected to slow cooling and inadequate cooling time and were rewarmed rapidly. This methodology would have reduced the beneficial effects of hypothermia. Adenosine is found to be beneficial for transient induced hypotension in 2 retrospective analyses, without increasing the risk for cardiac and neurological morbidity. The neurological benefit of pharmacological neuroprotection and neuromonitoring is not proven in patients undergoing clipping of aneurysms. DCI is an important cause of morbidity and mortality following SAH, and the pathophysiology is likely multifactorial and not yet understood. At present, oral nimodipine has an established role in the management of DCI, along with maintenance of euvolemia and induced hypertension. Following SAH, hypernatremia, although less common than hyponatremia, is a predictor of poor neurological outcome.
Project description:BackgroundAneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) as a serious type of stroke is frequently accompanied by a so-called initial thunderclap headache. However, the occurrence of burdensome long-term headache following SAH has never been studied in detail so far. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of long-term burdensome headache in good-grade SAH patients as well as its relation to health-related quality of life (HR-QOL).MethodsAll SAH cases treated between January 2014 and December 2016 with preserved consciousness at hospital discharge were prospectively interviewed regarding burdensome headache in 2018. Study participants were subsequently scrutinized by means of a standardized postal survey comprising validated pain and HR-QOL questionnaires. A retrospective chart review provided data on the initial treatment.ResultsA total of 93 out of 145 eligible SAH patients participated in the study (62 females). A total of 41% (38/93) of subjects indicated burdensome headache at follow-up (mean 32.6 ± 9.3 months). Comparison between patients with (HA+) and without long-term headache (HA-) revealed significantly younger mean age (47.9 ± 11.8 vs. 55.6 ± 10.3 years; p < .01) as well as more favorable neurological conditions (WFNS I/II: 95% vs. 75%; p = .03) in HA+ cases. The mean average headache of the HA+ group was 3.7 ± 2.3 (10-point numeric rating scale), and the mean maximum headache intensity was 5.7 ± 2.9. Pain and HR-QOL scores demonstrated profound alterations in HA+ compared to HA- patients.ConclusionsOur results suggest that a considerable proportion of SAH patients suffers from burdensome headache even years after the hemorrhage. Moreover, long-term headache is associated with reduced HR-QOL in these cases.
Project description:Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is one of the most severe neurological disorders, with a high mortality rate and severe disabling functional sequelae. Systemic inflammation following hemorrhagic stroke may play an important role in mediating intracranial and extracranial tissue damage. Previous studies showed that various systemic inflammatory biomarkers might be useful in predicting clinical outcomes. Anti-inflammatory treatment might be a promising therapeutic approach for improving the prognosis of patients with aSAH. This review summarizes the complicated interactions between the nervous system and the immune system.
Project description:Introduction:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) is caused by an aneurysmatic origin in 80% of cases. In the adult population, the risk of shunt dysfunction is about 16% in the first year, with proximal mechanical obstruction being the most frequent cause. Case report:An 81-year-old man with a history of shunt system placement presented among clinical data of shunt dysfunction. The brain Computed Tomography (CT) showed dilation of the ventricular system, with no other associated injury. The cause of the dysfunction was a SAH determined by a lumbar puncture (LP) study. We performed an angiography reporting 3 aneurysms. Discussion:The risk of shunt dysfunction at one year is 40% and at two years, the risk ups to 53% with obstruction of the system and infection being the two principal causes. The usefulness of a lumbar puncture for late detection of SAH lies in the red cells in the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF). When the CT is negative and the clinical suspicion remains, the lumbar puncture (LP) continues with higher sensitivity despite is over 12 hours of the onset clinic symptoms. Conclusion:This case encourages to follow a rigorous protocol study for patients with multiple shunt dysfunction and chronic hydrocephalus. Also, this case invites to consider a hidden SAH secondary to a vascular pathology as a differential diagnosis for a multiple shunt dysfunction.
Project description:Despite advancements in treating ruptured cerebral aneurysms, an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is still a grave cerebrovascular disease associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Based on the literature published to date, worldwide academic and governmental committees have developed clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to propose standards for disease management in order to achieve the best treatment outcomes for aSAHs. In 2013, the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgeons issued a Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs. The group researched all articles and major foreign CPGs published in English until December 2015 using several search engines. Based on these articles, levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were determined by our society as well as by other related Quality Control Committees from neurointervention, neurology and rehabilitation medicine. The Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs includes risk factors, diagnosis, initial management, medical and surgical management to prevent rebleeding, management of delayed cerebral ischemia and vasospasm, treatment of hydrocephalus, treatment of medical complications and early rehabilitation. The CPGs are not the absolute standard but are the present reference as the evidence is still incomplete, each environment of clinical practice is different, and there is a high probability of variation in the current recommendations. The CPGs will be useful in the fields of clinical practice and research.
Project description:Endovascular techniques have proven beneficial in the treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), but with high risk of arterial clotting, emboli and dissection. Platelet activation and alterations in hemostasis may contribute to these complications. We investigated platelet activation and aggregation pathways in aSAH patients who underwent endovascular treatment.Two blood samples were taken, in the early days after bleeding and during the period at risk of vasospasm. We studied platelet activation through the expression of GpIIbIIIa and P-selectin as well as aggregation rate in the presence of agonists. Platelets from aSAH patients were compared with those from orthopedic postoperative patients (POSTOP).Platelets in aSAH were initially spontaneously activated and remained so over time. aSAH platelets were further activated with rapid aggregation in the presence of agonists, particularly ADP, with behavior comparable to POSTOP platelets.aSAH platelets showed prolonged increases in activation and aggregation. Therapies targeting the ADP pathway might reduce the risk of clotting and ischemic events in this context among patients requiring multiple endovascular procedures.Not applicable.
Project description:BACKGROUD:Using electronic health data, we sought to identify clinical and physiological parameters that in combination predict neurologic outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS:We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients admitted with aSAH between 2011 and 2016. A set of 473 predictor variables was evaluated. Our outcome measure was discharge Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). For laboratory and physiological data, we computed the minimum, maximum, median, and variance for the first three admission days. We created a penalized logistic regression model to determine predictors of outcome and a multivariate multilevel prediction model to predict poor (GOS 1-2), intermediate (GOS 3), or good (GOS 4-5) outcomes. RESULTS:One hundred and fifty-three patients met inclusion criteria; most were discharged with a GOS of 3. Multivariate analysis predictors of mortality (AUC 0.9198) included APACHE II score, Glasgow Come Scale (GCS), white blood cell (WBC) count, mean arterial pressure, variance of serum glucose, intracranial pressure (ICP), and serum sodium. Predictors of death/dependence versus independence (GOS 4-5)(AUC 0.9456) were levetiracetam, mechanical ventilation, WBC count, heart rate, ICP variance, GCS, APACHE II, and epileptiform discharges. The multiclass prediction model selected GCS, admission APACHE II, periodic discharges, lacosamide, and rebleeding as significant predictors; model performance exceeded 80% accuracy in predicting poor or good outcome and exceeded 70% accuracy for predicting intermediate outcome. CONCLUSIONS:Variance in early physiologic data can impact patient outcomes and may serve as targets for early goal-directed therapy. Electronically retrievable features such as ICP, glucose levels, and electroencephalography patterns should be considered in disease severity and risk stratification scores.
Project description:Inflammation and compromise in structure and function of cerebral parenchymal microvasculature begins early after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We recently found greater inflammation and greater vascular compromise in male than in female rats following SAH. In this study, we investigated whether this cross-sexual difference in pathology is reflected in expression levels of genes related to vascular inflammation and structural compromise.Age-matched male and female rats underwent sham surgery or SAH by endovascular perforation. Early physiology (intracranial pressure (ICP), blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and cerebral blood flow) was monitored. Cerebral RNA was extracted at sacrifice 3 h after surgery and assayed for expression of thrombomodulin (Thbd), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNos;Nos3), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (Icam1), vascular endothelial growth factor (Vegf), interleukin-1beta (Il1?) tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Tnf-?), and arginine vasopressin (Avp).Increases in ICP and BP at SAH appeared slightly greater in males but the difference did not reach statistical difference, indicating that SAH intensity did not differ significantly between the sexes. Of the seven genes studied two; Tnf-? and Vegf, did not change after injury, while the remainder showed significant responses to SAH. Response of Nos3 and Thbd was markedly different between the sexes, with expression greater in males.This study finds that sexual dimorphism is present in the response of some but not all genes to SAH. Since products of genes exhibiting sexual dimorphism have anti-inflammatory activities, our results indicate that previously found sex-based differences in vascular pathology are paralleled by sexually dimorphic changes in gene expression following SAH.
Project description:Cerebral vasospasm occurs frequently after aneurysmal subarachnoid and contributes to delayed cerebral ischemia. In this article we address systematic problems with the literature on vasospasm and then review both established and experimental treatment options.