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Introduction Jugular oxygen saturation monitoring was introduced in neurointensive care after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) to explore the adequacy of brain perfusion and guide therapeutic interventions. The brain was considered homogeneous, and oxygen saturation was taken as representative of the whole organ. We investigated whether venous outflow from the brain was homogeneous by measuring oxygen saturation simultaneously from the two jugular veins. Methods In 32 comatose TBI patients both internal jugular veins (IJs) were simultaneously explored using intermittent samples; hemoglobin saturation was also recorded continuously by fiber-optic catheters in five patients. In five cases long catheters were inserted bilaterally upstream, up to the sigmoid sinuses. Main findings On average, measurements from the two sides were in agreement (mean and standard deviation of the differences between the saturation of the two IJs were respectively 5.32 and 5.15). However, 15 patients showed differences of more than 15 % in hemoglobin saturation at some point; three others showed differences larger than 10 %. No relationship was found between the computed tomographic scan data and the hemoglobin saturation pattern. Discussion/conclusion Several groups have confirmed differences between oxygen saturation in the two jugular veins. After years of enthusiasm, interest for jugular saturation has decreased and more modern methods, such as tissue oxygenation monitoring, are now available. Jugular saturation monitoring has low sensitivity, with the risk of missing low saturation, but high specificity; moreover it is cheap, when used with intermittent sampling. Monitoring the adequacy of brain perfusion after severe TBI is essential. However the choice of a specific monitor depends on local resources and expertise., Author(s): N. Stocchetti [sup.1] [sup.2], S. Magnoni [sup.2], E. R. Zanier [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4708.b, 0000000417572822, Department of Physiopathology and Transplant, Milan University, , Milan, Italy (2) grid.414818.0, 0000000417578749, [...]

Background: Several lines of evidence support the involvement of the lectin pathway of complement (LP) in the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke. The aim of this multicenter observational study was to assess the prognostic value of different circulating LP initiators in acute stroke.Methods: Plasma levels of the LP initiators ficolin-1, -2, and -3 and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) were measured in 80 stroke patients at 6 h only and in 85 patients at 48 h and later. Sixty-one age- and sex-matched healthy individuals served as controls. Stroke severity was measured on admission using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The outcome was measured at 90 days by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).Results: Ficolin-1 was decreased in patients compared with controls measured at 6 h (median 0.13 vs 0.33 μg/ml, respectively, p < 0.0001). At 48 h, ficolin-1 was significantly higher (0.45 μg/ml, p < 0.0001) compared to the 6 h samples and to controls. Likewise, ficolin-2 was decreased at 6 h (2.70 vs 4.40 μg/ml, p < 0.0001) but not at 48 h. Ficolin-3 was decreased both at 6 and 48 h (17.3 and 18.23 vs 21.5 μg/ml, p < 0.001 and <0.05, respectively). For MBL no difference was detected between patients and controls or within patients at the different time points. In multivariate analysis, early ficolin-1 was independently associated with unfavorable mRS outcome (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 2.21, confidence interval (CI) 95 % 1.11-4.39, p = 0.023). Early ficolin-1 improved the discriminating ability of an outcome model including NIHSS and age (area under the curve (AUC) 0.95, CI 95 % 0.90-0.99, p = 0.0001).Conclusions: The ficolins are consumed within 6 h after stroke implicating activation of the LP. Early ficolin-1 is selectively related to 3-month unfavorable outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postischaemic pyrexia exacerbates neuronal damage. Hyperthermia related cerebral changes have still not been well investigated in humans. Objective: To study how pyrexia affects neurochemistry and cerebral oxygenation after acute brain injury. Methods: 18 acutely brain injured patients were studied at the onset and resolution of febrile episodes (brain temperature ⩾38.7°C). Intracranial pressure (ICP), brain tissue oxygen tension (PbrO₂), and brain tissue temperature (Tbr) were recorded continuously; jugular venous blood was sampled intermittently. Microdialysis probes were inserted in the cerebral cortex and in subcutaneous tissue. Glucose, lactate, pyruvate, and glutamate were measured hourly. The lactate to pyruvate ratio was calculated. Results: Mean (SD) Tbr rose from 38 (0.5) to 39.3 (0.3)°C. Arteriojugular oxygen content difference (AJDO₂) Fell from 4.2 (0.7) to 3.8 (0.5) vol% (p<0.05) and PbrO₂ rose from 32 (21) to 37(22) mm Hg (p<0.05). ICP increased slightly and no significant neurochemical alterations occurred. Opposite changes were recorded when brain temperature returned towards baseline. Conclusions: As long as substrate and oxygen delivery remain adequate, hyperthermia on its own does not seem to induce any further significant neurochemical alterations. Changes in cerebral blood volume may, however, affect intracranial pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the frequency of hyperthermia in a population of acute neurosurgical patients; to assess the relation between brain temperature (ICT) and core temperature (Tc); to investigate the effect of changes in brain temperature on intracranial pressure (ICP).Methods: The study involved 20 patients (10 severe head injury, eight subarachnoid haemorrhage, two neoplasms) with median Glasgow coma score (GCS) 6. ICP and ICT were monitored by an intraventricular catheter coupled with a thermistor. Internal Tc was measured in the pulmonary artery by a Swan-Ganz catheter.Results: Mean ICT was 38.4 (SD 0.8) and mean Tc 38.1 (SD 0.8) degrees C; 73% of ICT and 57.5% of Tc measurements were > or =38 degrees C. The mean difference between ICT and Tc was 0.3 (SD 0.3) degrees C (range -0.7 to 2.3 degrees C) (p=0. 0001). Only in 12% of patients was Tc higher than ICT. The main reason for the differences between ICT and Tc was body core temperature: the difference between ICT and Tc increased significantly with body core temperature and fell significantly when this was lowered. The mean gradient between ICT and Tc was 0.16 (SD 0.31) degrees C before febrile episodes (ICT being higher than Tc), and 0.41 (SD 0.38) degrees C at the febrile peak (p<0.05). When changes in temperature were considered, ICT had a profound influence on ICP. Increases in ICT were associated with a significant rise in ICP, from 14.9 (SD 7.9) to 22 (SD 10.4) mm Hg (p<0.05). As the fever ebbed there was a significant decrease in ICP, from 17.5 (SD 8.62) to 16 (SD 7.76) mm Hg (p=0.02).Conclusions: Fever is extremely frequent during acute cerebral damage and ICT is significantly higher than Tc. Moreover, Tc may underestimate ICT during the phases when temperature has the most impact on the intracranial system because of the close association between increases in ICT and ICP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in young adults in the developed world. The accuracy of early outcome-prediction remains poor even when all known prognostic factors are considered, suggesting important currently unidentified variables. In addition, whilst survival and neurological outcomes have improved markedly with the utilisation of therapies that optimise physiology, no treatments specifically modulate the underlying pathophysiology. The immunological response to TBI represents both a potential contributor to outcome heterogeneity and a therapeutically tractable component of the acute disease process. Furthermore, chronic inflammation has been linked with neurodegeneration, and may mark a bridge between acute brain injury and the subsequent neurodegenerative process seen in a proportion of patients following TBI. Given the complexity of the immune response and its varying functions ranging from repair of injury to bystander damage of healthy tissue, attempts at immunomodulatory intervention must necessarily be highly targeted towards the maladaptive facets of the inflammatory process. In this review we aim to provide an integrated description of the immunological processes triggered by TBI in both humans and animal models, in particular considering the interplay between the innate immune system, danger-associated molecular patterns and loss of self-tolerance leading to adaptive autoimmunity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy, a non-invasive technique for monitoring cerebral oxygenation, is widely used, but its accuracy is questioned because of the possibility of extra-cranial contamination. Ultrasound-tagged near-infrared spectroscopy (UT-NIRS) has been proposed as an improvement over previous methods. We investigated UT-NIRS in healthy volunteers and in brain-dead patients., Methods: We studied 20 healthy volunteers and 20 brain-dead patients with two UT-NIRS devices, CerOx™ and c-FLOW™ (Ornim Medical, Kfar Saba, Israel), which measure cerebral flow index (CFI), a parameter related to changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). Monitoring started after the patients had been declared brain dead for a median of 34 (range: 11-300) min. In 11 cases, we obtained further demonstration of absent CBF., Results: In healthy volunteers, CFI was markedly different in the two hemispheres in the same subject, with wide variability amongst subjects. In brain-dead patients (median age: 64 yr old, 45% female; 20% traumatic brain injury, 40% subarachnoid haemorrhage, and 40% intracranial haemorrhage), the median (inter-quartile range) CFI was 41 (36-47), significantly higher than in volunteers (33; 27-36)., Conclusions: In brain-dead patients, where CBF is absent, the UT-NIRS findings can indicate an apparently perfused brain. This might reflect an insufficient separation of signals from extra-cranial structures from a genuine appraisal of cerebral perfusion. For non-invasive assessment of CBF-related parameters, the near-infrared spectroscopy still needs substantial improvement., (Copyright © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cerebral small-vessel disease (SVD) is a well-known cause of stroke, dementia and death, but its pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. The spectrum of neuroradiological manifestations associated with SVD is wide and may result from chronic and diffuse or acute and focal ischemia (leukoaraiosis and lacunar infarction) as well as from small-vessel rupture (cerebral microbleeds and intracerebral hemorrhage). Several lines of evidence from family and twin studies support the hypothesis that genetic factors may contribute to SVD pathogenesis. Identification of genetic susceptibility factors for SVD may improve our knowledge of SVD pathogenesis and help to identify new therapeutic targets to reduce the burden of SVD-related cognitive decline and stroke disability. A number of monogenic conditions presenting with clinical features of SVD have been described. Although monogenic disorders account for only a small proportion of SVD, study of these diseases may provide further insight into the pathogenesis of SVD. In most cases, however, SVD is thought to be a multifactorial disorder. Several genetic association studies, conducted using the candidate gene and, more recently, the genome-wide approach, have so far failed to demonstrate a convincing association between SVD and genetic variants. Methodological issues, particularly related to inaccurate or heterogeneous phenotyping and insufficient sample sizes, have been invoked as possible reasons for this. Large collaborative efforts and robust replication, as well as implementation of new genetic approaches, are necessary to identify genetic susceptibility factors for complex SVD.

This review focuses on the potential application of hypothermia in adults suffering traumatic brain injury (TBI). Hypothermia is neuroprotective, reducing the damaging effects of trauma to the brain in a variety of experimental situations, such as brain ischemia and brain injury, but it has failed to demonstrate outcome improvement in a major controlled, randomized trial. The evidence for the use of hypothermia as a protective procedure is scarce and contradictory. However, evidence does suggest that hypothermia is effective in reducing intracranial hypertension after head injury. Since hypothermia has important side effects, further work is necessary before introducing this procedure into clinical practice for TBI.

Following traumatic brain injury, uncontrollable intracranial hypertension remains the most frequent cause of death. Despite general agreement on the deleterious effects of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), however, the evidence supporting the use of ICP monitoring has recently been questioned. The aim of this review was to evaluate the pros and cons of ICP monitoring and to discuss the hypothetical desirability and feasibility of a trial testing the benefits of ICP monitoring.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the arterio-venous difference in carbon dioxide tension (DPCO2) and the ratio between DPCO2 and arterio-jugular oxygen difference (AJDO2) as indicators of compensated or uncompensated cerebral hypoperfusion., Methods: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was reduced stepwise in 6 pigs by inducing intracranial hypertension with consequently cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) reduction: CBF 100%, 50-60 % of baseline, 20-30% of baseline. Intracranial pressure (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), CPP and CBF (laser-Doppler method) were continuously recorded. Superior sagittal sinus was punctured for the determination of AJDO2 and DPCO2., Results: CBF impairment was accompanied by changes in AJDO2 from 6.03 +/- 1.21 vol% to 7.32 +/- 1.30 vol%, up to 8.07 +/- 1.32 vol% (P < 0.01), in DPCO2 from 12.17 +/- 3.25 mmHg to 16 +/- 4.12 mmHg, up to 26.5 +/- 6.41 mmHg (P < 0.01), and DPCO2/AJDO2 ratio from 2.05 +/- 0.39 to 2.06 +/- 0.72 up to 3.41 +/- 1.09 in the 3 phases (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: When CBF declines AJDO2 increases, indicating greater extraction of O2 to satisfy aerobic metabolism. However, this mechanism can no longer compensate once a critical CBF threshold is reached. DPCO2 rises slowly during moderate CBF reduction because of defective washout; the rise is steeper during marked CBF impairment when anaerobic metabolism takes place. During cerebral hypoperfusion the venous blood gases and acid base variables mirror the degree of cerebral perfusion. In particular the DPCO2, and the DPCO2/ AJDO2 ratio may be useful markers of critical brain hypoperfusion.

We investigated the changes in brain oxygen tension (ptiO2) after ventilation with pure O2 in order to (1) clarify the pathophysiology of O2 exchange in the cerebral microcirculation; and (2) investigate the relationship between brain O2 tension, O2 delivery, and consumption in steady-state conditions during stepwise cerebral blood flow (CBF) reductions. A swine model was developed to reduce CBF in three stable steps: (1) baseline (CBF 100%), (2) CBF of 50-60% of baseline, and (3) CBF of <30% of baseline. CBF was reduced by infusing saline into the left lateral ventricle through a catheter connected with an infusion pump. At each step, hyperoxia was tested by increasing the inspired oxygen fraction up to 100%, PtiO2 reflected the CBF reductions, since it was respectively 27.95 (+/-10.15), 14.77 (+/-3.58), and 3.45 (+/-2.89) mm Hg during the three CBF steps. Hyperoxia was followed by an increase in ptiO2, although the increase was significantly lower when hyperoxia was applied during progressive ischemia. O2 supply to the brain did not change during hyperoxia. Arteriovenous oxygen difference (AVDO2) decreased during the phases of intact CBF and moderate impairment, but not during the phase of severe CBF reduction. In conclusion, ptiO2 reductions closely reflect the imbalance between oxygen delivery and demand; this implies a link between low ptiO2 and defective O2 supply due to impaired CBF. However, this relation is not necessarily reciprocal, since manipulating brain oxygen tension does not always influence brain oxygen delivery, as in the case of ventilation with pure oxygen.