Guidelines for the management of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

The acute management of intracerebral hemorrhage

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, providing substantial scope for improvements in outcome. This review will discuss recent developments and present consensus evidence for the management of ICH.

RECENT FINDINGS

Intracranial management strategies focus on preventing further bleeding and minimizing the risk of hematoma expansion and cerebral ischemia. Known coagulopathies should be corrected and oral anticoagulation reversed, but there is no evidence for the routine transfusion of platelets in patients taking aspirin or clopidogrel. Recombinant factor VIIa reduces hematoma expansion after ICH, but does not improve outcome and is associated with thromboembolic complications. The role and type of surgical interventions remain controversial. Early aggressive treatment, including meticulous control of blood pressure and other systemic physiological variables, improves outcome as does management in a specialized neurointensive care unit. Thromboembolic prophylaxis is routine but prophylactic antiepileptic drugs confer no benefit. Ongoing research seeks to define optimal blood pressure, glucose and temperature targets, the role and type of surgery, and potential neuroprotective strategies.

SUMMARY

Well organized, multimodal therapy optimizing intracranial and systemic physiological variables improves outcome after ICH. Recent guidelines provide a useful consensus evidence-based framework for the management of acute ICH.

Critical care management of acute intracerebral hemorrhage

OPINION STATEMENT

Intracerebral hemorrhage is a medical emergency. It is the most deadly and disabling form of stroke, and no individual therapy has been demonstrated to improve outcome. However, it appears that aggressive medical care in general, and management by neuroscience specialists in particular, offers substantial benefit. Therefore, providing the best supportive care based on currently available evidence may well improve outcomes. Airway management and management of blood pressure aimed at maximizing cerebral perfusion while minimizing ongoing bleeding, as well as rapid reversal of anticoagulation, are likely to be important in the early phase. Additionally, efforts should be undertaken to provide careful glucose management and temperature management and to maximize cerebral perfusion pressure. Selected patients are likely to benefit from external ventricular drainage or even hematoma evacuation. Except in rare circumstances, most patients should be managed in a neuroscience intensive care unit during the acute phase. Some patients appear to have no reasonable likelihood of recovery and can be considered for limitations of care such as Do Not Resuscitate orders or Comfort Measures Only orders. However, it can be difficult to accurately predict long-term outcome in the acute phase; formal prognostic tools should be used to offer information to patients and their families. After the hemorrhage has stabilized, efforts to minimize complications include thromboembolism prophylaxis, physical therapy, and acute rehabilitation.

The role of the emergency pharmacist in trauma resuscitation

The clinical pharmacist in the emergency department is now commonly incorporated as a member of the emergency department trauma team. As such, the emergency pharmacist needs to have detailed knowledge of the pharmacotherapy of resuscitation and be able to apply the skills needed to function as a valuable member of this team. In addition to the traditional skills of the discipline of clinical pharmacy, the emergency pharmacist must be familiar with the intricacies of treating life-threatening injuries in an emergent setting and be able to anticipate the direction of the patient's care. The ability to provide valuable pharmacological interventions throughout the resuscitation and stabilization process requires familiarity with the process of resuscitation, including rapid sequence induction, analgesia and sedation, seizure prophylaxis, appropriate antibiotic and tetanus prophylaxis, intracranial pressure control, hemodynamic stabilization, and any other specific drug therapy that the clinical situation demands. This article discusses the aforementioned pharmacotherapeutic topics and describes the role of the Emergency Pharmacist on the ED trauma team.

Current status of blood pressure management after stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and long-term disability in the western world, accounting for 5% of the UK health budget. Consequently, it has been the major focus of recent healthcare advances. Physiological disturbances are common following an acute stroke, chiefly blood pressure (BP) abnormalities (high and 'relatively' low BP), which indicate adverse prognosis. While pilot studies suggest that early intervention to moderate both extremes of BP may improve outcomes, definitive evidence is awaited from ongoing research. Long-term elevated BP is the most prevalent risk factor for future stroke, with a comprehensive evidence base supporting BP reduction to reduce the risk of vascular events, including stroke. However, adherence to secondary preventive medications, including antihypertensive agents, remains poor. This article summarizes the current understanding of the role of BP in stroke, focusing on the management of BP for secondary prevention. Further emphasis is placed on identifying deficiencies in long-term management; barriers to improved application and potential interventions to overcome these barriers are summarized.

Brain perihematoma genomic profile following spontaneous human intracerebral hemorrhage

Background

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) represents about 15% of all strokes and is associated with high mortality rates. Our aim was to identify the gene expression changes and biological pathways altered in the brain following ICH.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Twelve brain samples were obtained from four deceased patients who suffered an ICH including perihematomal tissue (PH) and the corresponding contralateral white (CW) and grey (CG) matter. Affymetrix GeneChip platform for analysis of over 47,000 transcripts was conducted. Microarray Analysis Suite 5.0 was used to process array images and the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis System was used to analyze biological mechanisms and functions of the genes. We identified 468 genes in the PH areas displaying a different expression pattern with a fold change between −3.74 and +5.16 when compared to the contralateral areas (291 overexpressed and 177 underexpressed). The top genes which appeared most significantly overexpressed in the PH areas codify for cytokines, chemokines, coagulation factors, cell growth and proliferation factors while the underexpressed codify for proteins involved in cell cycle or neurotrophins. Validation and replication studies at gene and protein level in brain samples confirmed microarray results.

Conclusions

The genomic responses identified in this study provide valuable information about potential biomarkers and target molecules altered in the perihematomal regions.

Neurologic complications of hemoglobinopathies

The hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease and its variants, are genetic abnormalities of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin SS (sickle cell disease) is the most common form of hemoglobin mutation in North America. Complications of hemoglobinopathies are numerous and involve many organ systems, including the nervous system. This article is intended to introduce the reader to the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurologic complications of hemoglobinopathies, focusing specifically on sickle cell disease because of its prevalence.

Current management of intracerebral haemorrhage in China: a national, multi-centre, hospital register study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to examine current practice of the management and secondary prevention of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in China where the disease is more common than in Western populations.

METHODS

Data on baseline characteristics, management in-hospital and post-stroke, and outcome of ICH patients are from the ChinaQUEST (QUality Evaluation of Stroke Care and Treatment) study, a multi-centre, prospective, 62 hospital registry in China during 2006-07.

RESULTS

Nearly all ICH patients (n = 1572) received an intravenous haemodiluting agent such as mannitol (96%) or a neuroprotectant (72%), and there was high use of intravenous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (42%). Neurosurgery was undertaken in 137 (9%) patients; being overweight, having a low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission, and Total Anterior Circulation Syndrome (TACS) clinical pattern on admission, were the only baseline factors associated with this intervention in multivariate analyses. Neurosurgery was associated with nearly three times higher risk of death/disability at 3 months post-stroke (odd ratio [OR] 2.60, p < 0.001). Continuation of antihypertensives in-hospital and at 3 and 12 months post-stroke was reported in 732/935 (78%), 775/935 (83%), and 752/935 (80%) living patients with hypertension, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of ICH in China is characterised by high rates of use of intravenous haemodiluting agents, neuroprotectants, and TCM, and of antihypertensives for secondary prevention. The controversial efficacy of these therapies, coupled with the current lack of treatments of proven benefit, is a call for action for more outcomes based research in ICH.

Intensivmedizin bei neurologischen Erkrankungen

Eine 73-jährige Frau wird verwahrlost und wesensverändert im Treppenhaus ihres Wohnhauses vorgefunden. Die Notärztin stellt eine Temperatur von 39,5°C, eine deutliche Exsikkose und basale Rasselgeräusche beidseits fest. Die Patientin lehnt eine stationäre Krankenhausbehandlung vehement ab und muss daher mittels Psychisch-Kranken-Gesetz (PsychKG) eingewiesen werden. Bei Verdacht auf eine Pneumonie ruft die Pflegekraft in der Notaufnahme den diensthabenden Internisten hinzu.

Lower Treatment Blood Pressure Is Associated With Greatest Reduction in Hematoma Growth After Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The pilot phase of the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT) showed that rapid blood pressure (BP) lowering can attenuate hematoma growth in acute intracerebral hemorrhage. We sought to define the systolic BP level associated with greatest attenuation of hematoma growth. INTERACT included 404 patients with computed tomographic–confirmed intracerebral hemorrhage, elevated systolic BP (150 to 220 mm Hg), and capacity to commence BP lowering treatment within 6 hours of onset. Computed tomography was done at baseline and at 24 hours using standardized techniques, with digital images analyzed centrally, blinded to clinical data. Associations of baseline and achieved on-treatment (mean during the first 24 hours) systolic BP levels with the primary outcome of increase in hematoma volume were explored. There were 346 patients with duplicate computed tomographic scans. There was no significant association between baseline systolic BP levels and either the absolute or proportional growth in hematoma volume ( P trend=0.26 and 0.12, respectively). By contrast, achieved on-treatment systolic BP levels in the first 24 hours were clearly associated with both absolute and proportional hematoma growth (both P trend=0.03). Maximum reduction in hematoma growth occurred in the one third of participants with the lowest on-treatment systolic BP levels (median: 135 mm Hg). Intensive BP reduction to systolic levels between 130 and 140 mm Hg is likely to provide the maximum protection against hematoma growth after intracerebral hemorrhage.