Baratto F

99mTc-HMPAO SPECT in the diagnosis of brain death

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of single proton emission tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-HMPAO in the diagnosis of brain death (BD).DesignProspective study in comatose and brain-dead patients.SettingNeurologic ICU.Patients and methodsFifty comatose patients (age range: 10 days-75 years) were submitted to SPECT study. In 21 of them (42%) reversible factors (e.g., influence of drugs affecting the central nervous system) were present. Thirty-eight patients were clinically brain-dead, while the remaining 12 were tested both in pre-terminal conditions and after the clinical onset of BD.]InterventionsBrain SPECT following i.v. injection of 99mTc-HMPAO (300–1100 MBq), using a 4-headed gamma-camera (20 min, 360 °, 88 images).Measurements and resultsAll patients tested in pre-terminal conditions showed preserved brain perfusion. Two of them had flat EEGs despite the absence of any reversible cause of coma; three patients survived, but remained in persistent vegetative states. SPECT confirmed the diagnosis of BD in 45 out of 47 patients (95.7 %), clearly showing the arrest of brain perfusion (picture of “empty skull”); in two clinically brain-dead children (aged 10 days and 12 months, respectively) weak perfusion of the basal ganglia, thalamus and/or brain stem was still present, precluding the diagnosis of BD; both of them died a few days later.ConclusionsOur results confirm the reliability of SPECT in the diagnosis of BD. A problem arises about its effectiveness in brain-dead children, but this seems to be a matter of definition of BD and cerebral viability, rather than a limit of SPECT.

Role of short latency evoked potentials in the diagnosis of brain death

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to confirm the effectiveness of auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in the diagnosis of brain death (BD). METHODS ABRs and SEPs were recorded at the same session in 130 BD patients (age range 8-77 years, 81 male and 49 female). Twenty-four cases were submitted to serial recordings from preterminal conditions through BD. RESULTS ABRs were absent in 92 cases (70.8%), only waves I or I-II were present in 32 cases (24.6%), while in the remaining 6 patients (4.6%) waves V and/or III were still present, excluding the death of the brain-stem. In 4 cases (3.1%) SEPs showed the absence of all components following the cervical N9, preventing the diagnosis of BD. Among 126 cases (96.9%) with preserved cervical N9-N13 SEPs confirmed the absence of brain-stem activity in 122 cases (93.7%), in whom no waves following P11 or P13 were recordable. SEPs excluded the diagnosis of BD in the remaining 4 cases (3.2%) showing preserved P14 and/or N18. In all pre terminal patients the far-field P14-N18 were present, and their disappearance was closely related to the onset of BD. CONCLUSIONS The combined us of ABRs and SEPs was able to confirm BD in almost all patients, providing an objective confirmation of the diagnosis, and to exclude it in 7 cases, thus improving the reliability of diagnosis.

Multimodality evoked potentials (auditory, somatosensory and motor) in coma

Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) have proved to be significantly related to outcome, both in severe head injury and brain hemorrhage. Nevertheless, the usefulness of ABR is limited by the anatomic extent of the investigated pathways. The combined use of ABRs and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) improves the outcome prediction in comparison to the use of only one modality. It mainly decreases the rate of false negatives, since patients with severe hemispheric damage sparing the brain stem may have a poor outcome despite normal ABRs. The use of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from magnetic transcranial stimulation is also significantly related to outcome: it appears to be far superior to the clinical evaluation of motor responses, while the combined use of MEPs and SEPs gives a new opportunity of checking sensorimotor dysfunction. ABRs and SEPs may also be useful tools in the confirmation of brain death, the kernel of which is the assessment of brainstem death: they allow to check lemniscal pathways, which cannot be properly evaluated by clinical examination, and provide an objective confirmation of absence of brain stem activity.

Auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials in coma following spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage: early prognosis and outcome

The aim of this study was to check the prognostic power of auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in coma following spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage. Seventy patients comatose following subarachnoidal or hypertensive hemorrhage were submitted to ABR and SEP recordings during the acute phase of clinical course. Twenty-one patients survived (30%), two remained vegetative (2.9%) and 47 died (68.1%). The Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) was significantly related to the outcome (P < 0.001), but showed a low sensitivity, since about 50% of patients with GCS = 5-8 died or remained vegetative. ABRs and SEPs showed a much closer correlation with outcome (P < 0.001): their combined use allowed there to be a sensitivity of 96%, a specificity of 90% and a predictive power of 96%; the relative risk of poor outcome in patients with at least one abnormal modality was equal to 223 times the one for patients with normal evoked potentials. Moreover, in surviving patients a significant relationship appeared to exist between abnormalities of SEPs during the acute phase and the severity of disability. Our results confirm the prognostic effectiveness of short latency evoked potentials in cerebral hemorrhage: they are far superior to clinical data, being able to yield a marked decrease of falsely optimistic predictions.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in migraine during the interictal period: Different rCBF patterns in patients with and without aura

The aim of this study was to evaluate the rCBF (133Xe clearance method) in migrainous patients free from attack. Fifty patients suffering from migraine without aura (group M) and 20 suffering from migraine with aura (group MA) (age range 20-50 years) were submitted to 32 channel rCBF mapping during the interictal period. The rCBF data of patients were compared with those obtained from 60 healthy control subjects (group C) and 21 patients suffering from tension-type headache (group TH). The mean (average of all channels) rCBF values were: group M=70.5 ± 13.7ml/100g/min; group MA=56.6 ± 11.4ml/100g/min; group C=62.3 ± 8.3ml/100g/min; group TH=62.1 ± 8.4ml/100g/min (F=11.93; p<0.001). As expected, patients belonging to group TH had a normal rCBF. The mean rCBF of group M was significantly higher than that of groups C and TH, while in group MA it was significantly lower than in groups C and TH. Group M showed a diffuse hyperemia, while group MA showed rCBF values significantly lower than normal in posterior regions, according to aura. Our results suggest that: (a) the rCBF pattern in migrainous patients is different from that in both controls and TH patients, even during the interictal period; (b) patients suffering from migraine with and without aura are two distinct subpopulations with opposite rCBF deviations.

EEG monitoring of carotid endarterectomy with routine patch-graft angioplasty : an experience in a large series

Four hundred and thirty-nine carotid endarterectomies (CEAs) with routine use of patchgraft angioplasty were performed in 375 patients; the indwelling shunt was used only in patients showing clamp-related EEG abnormalities. Five patients showed EEG abnormalities just after head positioning, which reversed after removal of head hyperextension; three cases suffered EEG flattening due to severe bradycardia or cardiac arrest before carotid clamping, which promptly reversed after treatment. Clamp-related EEG abnormalities appeared in 106 operations (24.2%) and all reversed after the insertion of the indwelling shunt; patients with occlusion of the contralateral internal carotid artery showed a 68.8% rate of EEG clamp-related changes. The short term follow-up (one month after the operation) showed six minor strokes with complete recovery (1.37%), one intraoperative stroke (0.23%), three delayed major strokes (0.69%) and three neurological deaths (0.69%). The long-term follow-up over an average of 42 months showed a 3.7% rate of relevant neurological complications (ie permanent deficits + death) and a 3.16% rate significant restenosis or occlusion of the operated carotid artery. Our results show that the routine use of EEG monitoring and patch-graft angioplasty allow to perform CEAs with a very high degree of safety, improving the clinical course of the disease.

Sugammadex for reversal of neuromuscular blockade: a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in a single center.

Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of introducing a rocuronium–neostigmine–sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium–neostigmine regimen for neuromuscular block (NMB) management. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in five operating rooms at University Hospital of Padova. A clinical outcome evaluation after sugammadex administration as first-choice reversal drug in selected patients (rocuronium–sugammadex) and as rescue therapy after neostigmine reversal (rocuronium–neostigmine–sugammadex) compared to control was performed. A cost-analysis of NMB management accompanying the introduction of a rocuronium–neostigmine–sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium–neostigmine regimen was carried out. To such purpose, two periods were compared: 2011–2012, without sugammadex available; 2013–2014, with sugammadex available. A subsequent analysis was performed to evaluate if sugammadex replacing neostigmine as first choice reversal drug is cost-effective. Results The introduction of a rocuronium–neostigmine–sugammadex strategy into a cisatracurium–neostigmine regimen reduced the average cost of NMB management by 36%, from €20.8/case to €13.3/case. Patients receiving sugammadex as a first-choice reversal drug (3%) exhibited significantly better train-of-four ratios at extubation (P<0.001) and were discharged to the surgical ward (P<0.001) more rapidly than controls. The cost-saving of sugammadex as first-choice reversal drug has been estimated to be €2.9/case. Patients receiving sugammadex as rescue therapy after neostigmine reversal (3.2%) showed no difference in time to discharge to the surgical ward (P=0.44) compared to controls. No unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions with rocuronium–neostigmine–sugammadex strategy were observed. The potential economic benefit in avoiding postoperative residual curarization (PORC)-related ICU admission in the 2013–2014 period was estimated at an average value of €13,548 (€9,316–€23,845). Conclusion Sugammadex eliminated PORC and associated morbidities. In our center, sugammadex reduced the costs of NMB management and promoted rapid turnover of patients in operating rooms, with total cost-effectiveness that counteracts the disadvantages of its high cost.

Sleep disturbances and quality of life in postoperative management after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

BackgroundThe aims of this prospective study were to analyze the predictors of postoperative sleep disturbance after esophagectomy for cancer and to identify patients at risk for postoperative hypnotic administration.MethodsSixty two consecutive patients who underwent cancer-related esophagectomy were enrolled in this study from May 2011 to February 2012. Data about perioperative management, postoperative complications, ICU stay, and vasopressor, hypnotic, and painkiller administration were retrieved. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was used and global quality of life (QL2 item) and sleep disturbance (SL item) were the primary endpoints. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.ResultsPostoperative request of hypnotics independently predicted bad quality of life outcome. Sleep disturbance after esophagectomy was independently predicted by the duration of dopamine infusion in the ICU and the daily request of benzodiazepines. Even in this case, only sleep disturbance at diagnosis revealed to be an independent predictor of hypnotic administration need. ROC curve analysis showed that sleep disturbance at diagnosis was a good predictor of benzodiazepine request (AUC = 73%, P = 0.02).ConclusionsThe use of vasopressors in the ICU affects sleep in the following postoperative period and the use of hypnotics is neither completely successful nor lacking in possible consequences. Sleep disturbance at diagnosis can successfully predict patients who can develop sleep disturbance during the postoperative period.

High-frequency percussive ventilation: a new strategy for separation from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who developed severe septic shock and lung injury after community-acquired pneumonia. She was supported on arteriovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for 19 days. To facilitate decannulation and separation from ECMO, we began trials of high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) using the volumetric diffusive respiration ventilator VDR-4 (Percussionaire Corp, Sandpoint, Idaho) for 4 consecutive days (1 before and 3 after). Decannulation was achieved successfully, and the patient was transferred to the floor 3 months later. During the 4 days of HFPV, the chest radiograph improved, as did gas exchange and clearance of pulmonary secretions. HFPV may be a promising strategy for improving lung recruitment and airway clearance during separation from ECMO in the critically ill patient.

I-gel O2 resus pack, a rescue device in case of severe facial injury and difficult intubation

Article history: Received 21 January 2017 Received in revised form 25 January 2017 Accepted 26 January 2017 Available online xxxx (RT) and then, a fiberoptic-bronchoscopy assisted intubation was performed through its shaft in the Emergency Department (ED). Fig. 1A shows a 62-year-old man, who attempted suicide by a gunshot from a hunting rifle. He was found by the RT with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) E1V1M5 and saturation below 85%. After three failed laryngoscopies, an I-gel size 5 was placed and a rapid gastric decompression was obtained through its dedicated channel. Once arrived at the Trauma