The neuropsychological assessment battery (NAB) is a valuable tool for evaluating neuropsychological outcome after aneurysmatic subarachnoid hemorrhage

'We are still here, we are survivors': patients' experiences of attending a multidisciplinary group-based support programme following subarachnoid haemorrhage

PURPOSE

People who survive a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) often face enduring health challenges including physical disability, fatigue, cognitive impairments, psychological difficulties, and reduced quality of life. While group interventions have shown positive results in addressing similar issues in chronic conditions, the evidence involving SAH specifically is still sparse. This service evaluation aimed to explore SAH survivors' experiences of attending a multidisciplinary group-based support programme tailored to address unmet needs identified in previous literature, with the ultimate aim to refine future iterations of the programme and improve quality of care post-SAH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 individuals who attended the programme. The resulting data were analysed thematically.

RESULTS

Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Barriers to accessing support after a SAH, (2) Factors acting as enablers of recovery, (3) Sharing lived experience to support one another, (4) Feeling connected while navigating a group format.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of communication, fear, loneliness, and cognitive impairments can act as barriers to engagement with support, while acceptance and adjustment, holistic multidisciplinary input, and psychological support may represent successful enablers of recovery. Implications for future iterations of the programme as well as clinical rehabilitation and service development are discussed.

Long-term outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A prospective observational cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The survival rates for patients affected by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) have increased in recent years; however, many patients continue to develop cognitive dysfunctions that affect their quality of life. The commonly used outcome measures often fail to identify these cognitive dysfunctions. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes at 1 and 3 years after aSAH to assess changes over time and relate outcomes to patient characteristics and events during the acute phase.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective observational study included patients that experienced aSAH. Patients were assessed according to the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale, Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, Mayo-Portland Adaptability inventory-4, and Mental Fatigue scale.

RESULTS

Patients were assessed after 1 year (n = 62) and 3 years (n = 54). At 3 years, the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score improved in 15% and worsened in 12% of the patients. Mental fatigue was observed in 57% of the patients at 1 year. Patients <60 years of age at the time of aSAH had more self-assessed problems, including pain/headache (p < .01), than patients >60 years of age. Patients with delayed cerebral ischemia during the acute phase reported more dissatisfaction at 3 years, whereas no significant result was seen at 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive dysfunction, especially mental fatigue, is common in patients with aSAH, which affects quality of life and recovery. Patient outcome is a dynamic process developing throughout years after aSAH, involving both improvement and deterioration. This study indicates the importance of longer follow-up periods with broad outcome assessments.

The prognostic value of hyperglycemia in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Recent studies have demonstrated that hyperglycemia may result in a poor prognosis following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). However, the association between hyperglycemia and the clinical outcome of aSAH has not been clearly established thus far. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between hyperglycemia and the development of aSAH. We completed a literature search in four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) up to November 1, 2021, including all eligible studies investigating the prognostic value of hyperglycemia in patients with aSAH. We performed a quality assessment of included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association of hyperglycemia in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A total of 35 studies with 11,519 patients were finally included in the meta-analysis. Nineteen studies reported the association between hyperglycemia and poor outcome, 12 studies reported the association between hyperglycemia and all-cause mortality, 7 studies reported the association between hyperglycemia and cerebral vasospasm, and 9 studies reported the association between hyperglycemia and cerebral infarction. The pooled data of these studies suggested that hyperglycemia was significantly associated with poor functional outcomes (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-1.42; P < 0.00001; I² = 83%), all-cause mortality (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; P = 0.0006; I² = 89%), cerebral vasospasm (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02; P = 0.0002; I² = 35%), and cerebral infarction (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.09-1.23; P < 0.00001; I² = 10%) in aSAH patients. These findings suggested that assessing for hyperglycemia at admission may help clinicians to identify critically ill patients and complete patient stratification early, which may achieve better management and improve the prognosis of patients with aSAH.

The Local Intraarterial Administration of Nimodipine Might Positively Affect Clinical Outcome in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Delayed Cerebral Ischemia

The effect of the intraarterial administration of nimodipine as a rescue measure to treat delayed vasospasm after aSAH remains understudied; therefore, we evaluated its effect on short- and long-term functional and neuropsychological outcomes after aSAH. In this prospective observational study, a total of 107 consecutive patients treated for aSAH of WFNS grades I−V were recruited. At follow-up visits 3-, 12- and 24-months after the hemorrhage, functional outcome was assessed using the Extended Glasgow Outcome (GOSE) and modified Rankin (mRS) scales, while neurocognitive function was evaluated using the screening module of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB-S). The outcome of patients, who had received rescue therapy according to the local standard treatment protocol (interventional group, n = 37), and those, who had been treated conservatively (conservative group, n = 70), were compared. Even though significantly more patients in the interventional treatment group suffered from high-grade aSAH (WFNS Grades IV and V, 54.1% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.04) and required continuous drainage of cerebrospinal fluid at discharge (67.7% vs. 37.7%, p = 0.02) compared to the control group, significant differences in functional outcome were present only at discharge and three months after the bleeding (GOSE > 4 in 8.1% vs. 41.4% and 28.6% vs. 72.7%, p < 0.001 and p = 0.01 for the interventional and control group, respectively). Thereafter, group differences were no longer significant. While significantly more patients in the intervention group had severe neuropsychological deficits (76.3% vs. 36.0% and 66.7% vs. 29.2%, p = 0.04 and 0.05, respectively) and were unable to work (5.9% vs. 38.1%, p = 0.03 at twelve months) at three and twelve months after the hemorrhage, no significant differences between the two groups could be detected at long-term follow-up. The presence of moderate neuropsychological impairments did not significantly differ between the groups at any timepoint. In conclusion, despite initially being significantly more impaired, patients treated with intraarterial administration of nimodipine reached the same functional and neuropsychological outcomes at medium- and long-term follow-up as conservatively treated patients suggesting a potential beneficial effect of intraarterial nimodipine treatment for delayed vasospasm after aSAH.