Background: External ventricular drain (EVD) placement is one of the most commonly used interventions in life-saving neurosurgical care. EVDs are often used to treat traumatic brain injuries, infection, primary and secondary hydrocephalus, and intracranial space occupying lesions, such as tumors, cysts, and ischemic/hemorrhagic strokes. EVDs have been proven to reduce mortality but are often associated with complications that can affect patient outcomes. Our study investigates the patient outcomes associated with emergent EVD placement in a patient population with no prior history of neurosurgery. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients 18+ requiring emergent EVD placement from January 2016 to December 2022 at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Exclusion criteria included intra-operative EVD placements and patients with any prior neurosurgical history. 223 patient charts were analyzed for outcomes of independent ambulation capability, length of hospital stay, subsequent neurosurgical intervention, and final patient disposition. Subsequent neurosurgical interventions were stratified into six subcategories: EVD removal only, subsequent EVD placement, ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement, endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), craniotomy, and other. Patient disposition included home, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care, hospice, and expiration. Results: Our study demonstrated that only 10% of patients were able to ambulate independently at discharge, 24% of patients required shunt placement, 20% of patients expired in hospital and the average length of hospital stay was 20 days. Conclusions Despite there being immense research demonstrating the efficacy and safety of EVDs, there is limited literature for clinicians and patients together to demonstrate the clinical gravity of EVD placement. Our study accurately delineates the clinical patient outcomes associated with EVD placement on neuro-surgically naive patients.

Objective: Oral anticoagulant (OAC) use increases the risk of death in conditions like hemorrhagic stroke, trauma, and traumatic brain injury. Early identification of OAC use is critical for timely interventions to mitigate hemorrhage risk and improve survival. We aimed to identify emergency medical services (EMS) care characteristics associated with patients using an OAC. Methods: We analyzed prehospital data (2018–2020) from the ESO Data Collaborative, focusing on adult (≥18 years) 911 EMS calls. The administered OACs were warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. We compared EMS call characteristics, patient demographics, response times, and interventions between OAC and non-OAC users. We used univariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors of OAC use. Results: Of 16,244,550 adult 911 EMS events, 906,575 involved OAC users (56 of 1,000 calls). Those using OAC were older (73.6 years vs. 56.9 years) and more often from nursing homes or long-term care facilities (17.0% vs. 9.2%) but less likely to have trauma (14.7% vs. 18.1%) or cardiac arrest (1.2% vs. 1.4%). The most common EMS primary clinical impressions for OAC users were chest pain (7.4%), altered mental status (7.3%), injury (6.5%), abdominal pain (4.3%), and brain injury (2.8%). Conclusion OAC users accounted for 1 in 18 adult EMS encounters. Specific patient and call characteristics were associated with OAC use. These findings should be incorporated into EMS training to facilitate recognition and appropriate management of OAC-related emergencies.

Traditional surgical techniques for extradural lumbar schwannomas are associated with considerable morbidity, including spinal instability and injury to the viscera and lumbar plexus. Minimally invasive approaches decrease soft tissue damage, blood loss, and postoperative length of stay. For select extraforaminal schwannomas, a minimally invasive lateral transpsoas approach affords a direct surgical corridor. A 53-year-old obese female presented with 1 year of left iliopsoas weakness and L3 radiculopathy refractory to conservative management. Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhancing mass within the left psoas muscle consistent with an extraforaminal L3 schwannoma. The patient underwent minimally invasive oblique retroperitoneal surgical resection. Intraoperatively, the nerve root was splayed over the superior-lateral portion of the tumor limiting us to subtotal resection with nerve root preservation. The patient had improvement of pain and weakness that persisted at a 3-month follow-up. A minimally invasive lateral/oblique transpsoas approach provides a direct surgical approach for extraforaminal schwannoma. Patient body habitus and the nerve root relationship to the tumor may present limitations for the safe extent of resection.

Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology* ; Antibodies, Viral/immunology* ; COVID-19/virology* ; COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology* ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity* ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology* ; Vaccines, Inactivated/immunology*

BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study was to use point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to investigate the relationship between tobacco smoke exposure and the characteristics of the common carotid artery (CCA). The effect of both primary and secondary smoking on CCA properties was evaluated. METHODS:We performed a prospective cross-sectional study across 20 primary care clinics in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia in July 2016. Point of care ultrasound was performed on a convenience sample of Indonesian patients presenting to clinic. The CCA wall stiffness and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were measured during diastole and systole. These measurements were correlated with smoke exposure and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: We enrolled 663 patients in the study, with 426 patients enrolled in the smoking category and 237 patients enrolled in the second-hand smoke category. There was an overall positive correlation with the measured lifestyle factors and the ultrasound-measured variables in the group of individuals who smoked. For all variables, age seemed to contribute the most out of all of the lifestyle factors for the positive changes in CIMT and CCA wall stiffness. CONCLUSION:Our data yielded correlations between CCA properties and cardiovascular risk, as well as between CIMT and arterial stiffness. We were also able to demonstrate an increase in thickness of the CIMT in patients who have been exposed by tobacco through the use of ultrasound. Further large scale studies comparing patients with multiple cardiac risk factors need to be performed to confirm the utility of ultrasound findings of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term efficacy of a 4-week ultrasound curriculum taught by American first-year medical students to general practitioners working in public health care clinics, or puskesmas, in Bandung, Indonesia. METHODS: We performed a prospective, observational study of Indonesian health care practitioners from public clinics in Bandung, Indonesia. These practitioners were enrolled in a 4-week ultrasound training course taught by first-year American medical students. A total of six sessions were held comprising of 38 ultrasound milestones. A pre-course and post-course written exam and practical exam was taken by each participant. RESULTS: We enrolled 41 clinicians in the course. The average pre-course exam score was 35.2% with a 2.4% pass rate, whereas the average post-course exam score was 82.0% with a 92.7% pass rate. The average practical score at the completion of the course was 83.2% (SD=0.145) with 82.9% of the class passing (score above 75.0%). CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that first-year medical students can effectively teach ultrasound to physicians in Indonesia using a 4-week intensive ultrasound training course. Future studies are needed to determine the amount of training required for proficiency and to evaluate the physicians' perceptions of the student-instructors' depth of knowledge and skil in point of cаre ultrаsound.

Objective: Employment is important for patients with chronic illness, and to remain employed is a robust support to them. This study aimed to examine the employment rate and to identify factors associated with employment among multiple sclerosis (MS) in Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from 2010 to 2011 at five major public hospitals. Fifty-nine clinical definite MS patients with no evidence of dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination ≥ 22) were recruited. Demographic data and neuropsychological test results including memory, visual perception, psychological well-being, motor, executive domain and processing speed were collected. Principal component analysis and logistic regression with multiple imputation were used in data analyses. Results: The employment rate among MS patients was 56%. Patients with better cognitive functions were more likely to be employed (p=0.002). No significant association was found between employment status and age, gender, level of education, types of MS, disease duration, frequency of relapse or use of interferon. Conclusion: MS patients had high unemployment rate (44%) which was 11.5 times higher than the general population in Hong Kong. MS patients with better cognitive functions had higher employment rates.
Multiple Sclerosis