Hemodynamic response and clinical outcome following intravenous milrinone plus norepinephrine-based hyperdynamic hypertensive therapy in patients suffering secondary cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

CT perfusion imaging in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. State of the art

CT perfusion (CTP) images can be easily and rapidly obtained on all modern CT scanners and have become part of the routine imaging protocol of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of CTP imaging in these patients, however, there are significant differences in the software packages and methods of analysing CTP. In. addition, no quantitative threshold values for tissue at risk (TAR) have been validated in this patients' population. Here we discuss the contribution of the technique in the identification of patients at risk of aSAH-related delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and in the assessment of the response to endovascular rescue therapy (ERT). We also address the limitations and pitfalls of automated CTP postprocessing that are specific to aSAH patients as compared to acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

A Survey on Monitoring and Management of Cerebral Vasospasm and Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: The Mantra Study

INTRODUCTION

Cerebral infarction from delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a leading cause of poor neurological outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We performed an international clinical practice survey to identify monitoring and management strategies for cerebral vasospasm associated with DCI in aSAH patients requiring intensive care unit admission.

METHODS

The survey questionnaire was available on the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (May 2021-June 2022) and Neurocritical Care Society (April - June 2022) websites following endorsement by these societies.

RESULTS

There were 292 respondents from 240 centers in 38 countries. In conscious aSAH patients or those able to tolerate an interruption of sedation, neurological examination was the most frequently used diagnostic modality to detect delayed neurological deficits related to DCI caused by cerebral vasospasm (278 respondents, 95.2%), while in unconscious patients transcranial Doppler/cerebral ultrasound was most frequently used modality (200, 68.5%). Computed tomography angiography was mostly used to confirm the presence of vasospasm as a cause of DCI. Nimodipine was administered for DCI prophylaxis by the majority of the respondents (257, 88%), mostly by an enteral route (206, 71.3%). If there was a significant reduction in arterial blood pressure after nimodipine administration, a vasopressor was added and nimodipine dosage unchanged (131, 45.6%) or reduced (122, 42.5%). Induced hypertension was used by 244 (85%) respondents as first-line management of DCI related to vasospasm; 168 (59.6%) respondents used an intra-arterial procedure as second-line therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This survey demonstrated variability in monitoring and management strategies for DCI related to vasospasm after aSAH. These findings may be helpful in promoting educational programs and future research.

Emergent Management of Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE

Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) carries high morbidity and mortality rates, and the emergent management of this disease can make a large impact on patient outcome. The purpose of this article is to provide a pragmatic overview of the emergent management of SAH.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Recent trials have influenced practice around the use of antifibrinolytics, the timing of aneurysm securement, the recognition of cerebral edema and focus on avoiding a lower limit of perfusion, and the detection and prevention of delayed cerebral ischemia. Much of the acute management of SAH can be protocolized, as demonstrated by two updated guidelines published by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the Neurocritical Care Society in 2023. However, the gaps in evidence lead to clinical equipoise in some aspects of critical care management.

ESSENTIAL POINTS

In acute management, there is an urgency to differentiate the etiology of SAH and take key emergent actions including blood pressure management and coagulopathy reversal. The critical care management of SAH is similar to that of other acute brain injuries, with the addition of detecting and treating delayed cerebral ischemia. Strategies for the detection and treatment of delayed cerebral ischemia are limited by disordered consciousness and may be augmented by monitoring and imaging technology.

Neurogenic myocardial dysfunction post craniopharyngioma resection: A diagnostic dilemma

Endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of craniopharyngioma is a commonly used technique. Cerebral vasospasm may occur in nearly 10% of cases leading to adverse neurological outcomes. Cardiopulmonary dysfunction may be seen in patients with severe vasospasm. The literature describing the occurrence of neurogenic stunned myocardium following craniopharyngioma resection in pediatric patients is very sparse. Here, we describe such a case managed with a combination of milrinone (to relieve vasospasm and improve cardiac pump function), noradrenaline (to obtain target blood pressure), and vasopressin (to control urine output). This case report proposes the treatment plan of neurogenic stunned myocardium following vasospasm in pediatric patients.

Augmenting Hypertensive Therapy in Patients with Postoperative Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: What's the Right Choice?

How to cite this article: Prabhakar H. Augmenting Hypertensive Therapy in Patients with Postoperative Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: What's the Right Choice? Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(4):233-234.

Intraoperative arterial pressure and delayed cerebral ischemia in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage after surgical clipping: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is the major predictor of poor outcomes in patients with aSAH. Previous studies have attempted to assess the relationship between controlling blood pressure and DCI. However, the management of intraoperative blood pressure in reducing the occurrence of DCI still remains inconclusive.

Methods

All patients with aSAH who received general anesthesia for surgical clipping between January 2015 and December 2020 were prospectively reviewed. Patients were divided in the DCI group or the non-DCI group depending on whether DCI occurred or not. Intraoperative arterial pressure was measured every minute and recorded in an electronic anesthesia recording system along with intraoperative medication and other vital signs. The initial neurological function score, aneurysm characteristics, surgical and anesthetic information, and outcomes were compared between the DCI and the non-DCI groups.

Results

Among 534 patients who were enrolled, a total of 164 (30.71%) patients experienced DCI. The baseline characteristics of patients were similar between the groups. The World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Scale > 3, age ≥ 70 years, and the modified Fisher Scale > 2 were significantly higher in patients with DCI than those without. Though it was the second derivative of the regression analysis, 105 mmHg was adopted as the threshold for intraoperative hypotension and was not associated with DCI.

Conclusions

The threshold of 105 mmHg was adopted as intraoperative hypotension even though it was the second derivative of the regression analysis and could not be proved to be associated with delayed cerebral ischemia adjusted by the baseline severity of aSAH and age.

Headache persisting after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A narrative review of pathophysiology and therapeutic strategies

OBJECTIVE

This narrative review of the literature concerns persistent headache attributed to past non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), based off demographic and clinical features, what are pathophysiologic mechanisms by which these headaches occur, which medical and interventional treatments have the most evidence for pain alleviation, and what pre-clinical evidence is there for emerging treatments for these patients.

BACKGROUND

Following initial stabilization and treatment of spontaneous SAH, most commonly due to aneurysmal rupture, headache in the immediate inpatient setting and persisting after discharge are an important cause of morbidity. These headaches often receive heterogenous treatment of uncertain efficacy, and the risk factors and pathophysiology of their development has received little study.

METHODS

A narrative review of current literature discussing post-SAH headache was conducted using a literature search in PubMed with search term combinations including "post subarachnoid hemorrhage pain", "subarachnoid hemorrhage headache", and "post subarachnoid hemorrhage headache". Clinical studies mentioning headache after SAH and/or treatment in the abstract/title were included through March, 2022.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Post-SAH headaches are shown to decrease quality of life, have a multi-modal pathophysiology in their occurrence, and only a select few medications (reviewed herein) have been demonstrated to have efficacy in alleviation of these headaches, while also harboring possible risks including vasospasm and re-bleeding. An effective treatment paradigm of these headaches will include trials of evidence-based therapeutics, rapid reduction of opioid medications if not effective, and consideration of multi-modal pain control strategies including nerve blocks.

Nimodipine vs. Milrinone – Equal or Complementary Use? A Retrospective Analysis

Background

Cerebral vasospasm (CVS) continues to account for high morbidity and mortality in patients surviving the initial aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Nimodipine is the only drug known to reduce delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), but it is believed not to affect large vessel CVS. Milrinone has emerged as a promising option. Our retrospective study focused on the effectiveness of the intra-arterial application of both drugs in monotherapy and combined therapy.

Methods

We searched for patients with aneurysmal SAH, angiographically confirmed CVS, and at least one intra-arterial pharmacological angioplasty. Ten defined vessel sections on angiograms were assessed before and after vasodilator infusion. The improvement in vessel diameters was compared to the frequency of DCI-related cerebral infarction before hospital discharge and functional outcome reported as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score after 6 months.

Results

Between 2014 and 2021, 132 intra-arterial interventions (144 vascular territories, 12 bilaterally) in 30 patients were analyzed for this study. The vasodilating effect of nimodipine was superior to milrinone in all intradural segments. There was no significant intergroup difference concerning outcome in mRS (p = 0.217). Only nimodipine or the combined approach could prevent DCI-related infarction (both 57.1%), not milrinone alone (87.5%). Both drugs induced a doubled vasopressor demand due to blood pressure decrease, but milrinone alone induced tachycardia.

Conclusions

The monotherapy with intra-arterial nimodipine was superior to milrinone. Nimodipine and milrinone may be used complementary in an escalation scheme with the administration of nimodipine first, complemented by milrinone in cases of severe CVS. Milrinone monotherapy is not recommended.

Analysis of the Therapeutic Effect and Prognostic Factors of 126 Patients With Hypertensive Cerebral Hemorrhage Treated by Soft-Channel Minimally Invasive Puncture and Drainage

Background

Surgery is the main method for the clinical treatment of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. Traditional craniotomy faces the disadvantages of the long operation time, easy to cause secondary injury to patients during the operation, and prone to infection after the operation, which is not conducive to the rehabilitation of patients. At present, it is urgent to find a surgical scheme, which can clear hematoma in time, protect brain tissue, and effectively reduce surgical trauma in the clinic.

Materials and Methods

The case database of our hospital was consulted, and the clinical data of patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) treated with soft channel minimally invasive puncture and drainage from February 2018 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were evaluated for efficacy, and the changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), homocysteine (Hcy), endothelin (ET), and vasopressin (AVP) levels before surgery, 3 days after surgery, and 7 days after surgery were analyzed. Clinical data were collected and Logistic regression was used to analyze the prognostic factors.

Results

Finally, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 126 patients were selected as the research object. Among them, there were 24 cases (19.05%) of recovery, 47 cases (37.30%) of markedly effective, 34 cases (26.98%) of effective, 11 cases (8.73%) of ineffective, and 10 cases (7.94%) of death. The total effective rate was 83.33%. The hematoma was basically removed in 116 cases (92.06%). The average evacuation time of hematoma was (7.82 ± 1.63) days. Post-operative intracranial infection occurred in 2 cases (1.59%) and post-operative rebleeding occurred in 5 cases (3.97%). The average hospital stay was (34.16 ± 16.59) days. Serum CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, Hcy, ET, and AVP levels of all patients on the third and seventh days after surgery were lower than those before surgery, and those on the seventh day after surgery were lower than those on the third day after surgery (p < 0.05). The differences in pre-operative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, bleeding volume, ventricular rupture, complicated cerebral hernia, and attack time to surgery between the good prognosis group and the bad prognosis group were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Pre-operative GCS score, bleeding volume, ventricular rupture, complicated cerebral hernia, and onset time to surgery were all independent factors that affect the prognosis of patients (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Soft-channel minimally invasive puncture and drainage treatment of HICH has a significant effect, which is conducive to the complete removal of hematoma, reducing hospitalization time, while adjusting the balance and stability of various cytokines, and improving patient prognosis. Pre-operative GCS score, bleeding volume, rupture into the ventricle, complicated cerebral hernia, and time from onset to operation are all independent factors that affect the prognosis of patients.