Objective: : Palliative care is a specialized approach designed to enhance the quality of life for both patients and their families, offering patient-centered care through comprehensive assessment and care planning. However, the integration of palliative care within neurocritical care settings has been relatively understudied. This descriptive study aims to identify the characteristics, palliative care needs, and outcomes of patients referred to palliative care services during admission to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NS-ICU). Methods: : A retrospective analysis of adults admitted to the NS-ICU at a referral hospital between December 2019 and December 2021 was conducted. The study focused on those referred to the inpatient palliative care team with diagnoses of non-traumatic brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, or brain neoplasm. Excluded were patients who died before palliative care consultation or lacked sufficient information. The investigation assessed demographic and clinical characteristics at consultation, along with post-consultation hospital outcomes derived from medical records and interview notes. Results: : In this study involving 38 enrolled patients, the median age was 65, with 42.1% females. The most prevalent diagnosis was nontraumatic brain hemorrhage (47.4%). Reasons for palliative care consultation included psychosocial support (95%), goal-of-care discussions (68%), decision-making support (50%), and communication facilitation (39%). The median time from NS-ICU admission to consultation was 3.5 days (interquartile range, 1–8 days), and all interviews involved family members. Key decision topics encompassed mechanical ventilation (23.7%) and tracheostomy (21.1%). Patient preferences for life-sustaining treatment could be estimated in only 47.4% of cases, often resulting in treatment disagreement. Among the 38 patients, 26 (68.4%) died during admission. Before the consultation, full code status, partial code status, and comfort care alone were reported as 32%, 66%, and 2%, respectively; post-consultation, these figures shifted to 11%, 42%, and 47%, respectively. Conclusion : Palliative care was predominantly sought for psychosocial support and discussions concerning goals of care. Despite challenges in ascertaining patient treatment preferences, palliative care consultations proved invaluable in aiding family members and facilitating treatment decision-making. Our study suggests the potential integration of palliative care within neuro-critical care, contributing to a heightened utilization of comfort care at the end-of-life.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common form of hand mononeuropathy that is typi-cally caused by median nerve compression. Although it is often idiopathic, CTS can also result from various conditions, including space-occupying lesions. Tumoral calcinosis, a rare condition characterized by periarticular deposition of calcified masses, is an un-common cause of secondary CTS. We present a case of a 78-year-old woman with idio-pathic tumoral calcinosis that caused secondary CTS. Despite conservative treatments, her symptoms persisted, and diagnostic imaging, including radiographs, computed to-mography, and magnetic resonance imaging, revealed a calcified mass in the carpal tun-nel. A surgical intervention involving carpal tunnel release and excisional biopsy con-firmed the diagnosis of tumoral calcinosis. Postoperatively, the patient showed complete resolution of symptoms, with no recurrence on follow-up radiographs. This case high-lights the importance of considering space-occupying lesions, such as tumoral calcinosis, as a rare but treatable cause of secondary CTS.

Objective: : Palliative care is a specialized approach designed to enhance the quality of life for both patients and their families, offering patient-centered care through comprehensive assessment and care planning. However, the integration of palliative care within neurocritical care settings has been relatively understudied. This descriptive study aims to identify the characteristics, palliative care needs, and outcomes of patients referred to palliative care services during admission to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NS-ICU). Methods: : A retrospective analysis of adults admitted to the NS-ICU at a referral hospital between December 2019 and December 2021 was conducted. The study focused on those referred to the inpatient palliative care team with diagnoses of non-traumatic brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, or brain neoplasm. Excluded were patients who died before palliative care consultation or lacked sufficient information. The investigation assessed demographic and clinical characteristics at consultation, along with post-consultation hospital outcomes derived from medical records and interview notes. Results: : In this study involving 38 enrolled patients, the median age was 65, with 42.1% females. The most prevalent diagnosis was nontraumatic brain hemorrhage (47.4%). Reasons for palliative care consultation included psychosocial support (95%), goal-of-care discussions (68%), decision-making support (50%), and communication facilitation (39%). The median time from NS-ICU admission to consultation was 3.5 days (interquartile range, 1–8 days), and all interviews involved family members. Key decision topics encompassed mechanical ventilation (23.7%) and tracheostomy (21.1%). Patient preferences for life-sustaining treatment could be estimated in only 47.4% of cases, often resulting in treatment disagreement. Among the 38 patients, 26 (68.4%) died during admission. Before the consultation, full code status, partial code status, and comfort care alone were reported as 32%, 66%, and 2%, respectively; post-consultation, these figures shifted to 11%, 42%, and 47%, respectively. Conclusion : Palliative care was predominantly sought for psychosocial support and discussions concerning goals of care. Despite challenges in ascertaining patient treatment preferences, palliative care consultations proved invaluable in aiding family members and facilitating treatment decision-making. Our study suggests the potential integration of palliative care within neuro-critical care, contributing to a heightened utilization of comfort care at the end-of-life.

Objective: : Palliative care is a specialized approach designed to enhance the quality of life for both patients and their families, offering patient-centered care through comprehensive assessment and care planning. However, the integration of palliative care within neurocritical care settings has been relatively understudied. This descriptive study aims to identify the characteristics, palliative care needs, and outcomes of patients referred to palliative care services during admission to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NS-ICU). Methods: : A retrospective analysis of adults admitted to the NS-ICU at a referral hospital between December 2019 and December 2021 was conducted. The study focused on those referred to the inpatient palliative care team with diagnoses of non-traumatic brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, or brain neoplasm. Excluded were patients who died before palliative care consultation or lacked sufficient information. The investigation assessed demographic and clinical characteristics at consultation, along with post-consultation hospital outcomes derived from medical records and interview notes. Results: : In this study involving 38 enrolled patients, the median age was 65, with 42.1% females. The most prevalent diagnosis was nontraumatic brain hemorrhage (47.4%). Reasons for palliative care consultation included psychosocial support (95%), goal-of-care discussions (68%), decision-making support (50%), and communication facilitation (39%). The median time from NS-ICU admission to consultation was 3.5 days (interquartile range, 1–8 days), and all interviews involved family members. Key decision topics encompassed mechanical ventilation (23.7%) and tracheostomy (21.1%). Patient preferences for life-sustaining treatment could be estimated in only 47.4% of cases, often resulting in treatment disagreement. Among the 38 patients, 26 (68.4%) died during admission. Before the consultation, full code status, partial code status, and comfort care alone were reported as 32%, 66%, and 2%, respectively; post-consultation, these figures shifted to 11%, 42%, and 47%, respectively. Conclusion : Palliative care was predominantly sought for psychosocial support and discussions concerning goals of care. Despite challenges in ascertaining patient treatment preferences, palliative care consultations proved invaluable in aiding family members and facilitating treatment decision-making. Our study suggests the potential integration of palliative care within neuro-critical care, contributing to a heightened utilization of comfort care at the end-of-life.

Objective: : Palliative care is a specialized approach designed to enhance the quality of life for both patients and their families, offering patient-centered care through comprehensive assessment and care planning. However, the integration of palliative care within neurocritical care settings has been relatively understudied. This descriptive study aims to identify the characteristics, palliative care needs, and outcomes of patients referred to palliative care services during admission to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NS-ICU). Methods: : A retrospective analysis of adults admitted to the NS-ICU at a referral hospital between December 2019 and December 2021 was conducted. The study focused on those referred to the inpatient palliative care team with diagnoses of non-traumatic brain hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, or brain neoplasm. Excluded were patients who died before palliative care consultation or lacked sufficient information. The investigation assessed demographic and clinical characteristics at consultation, along with post-consultation hospital outcomes derived from medical records and interview notes. Results: : In this study involving 38 enrolled patients, the median age was 65, with 42.1% females. The most prevalent diagnosis was nontraumatic brain hemorrhage (47.4%). Reasons for palliative care consultation included psychosocial support (95%), goal-of-care discussions (68%), decision-making support (50%), and communication facilitation (39%). The median time from NS-ICU admission to consultation was 3.5 days (interquartile range, 1–8 days), and all interviews involved family members. Key decision topics encompassed mechanical ventilation (23.7%) and tracheostomy (21.1%). Patient preferences for life-sustaining treatment could be estimated in only 47.4% of cases, often resulting in treatment disagreement. Among the 38 patients, 26 (68.4%) died during admission. Before the consultation, full code status, partial code status, and comfort care alone were reported as 32%, 66%, and 2%, respectively; post-consultation, these figures shifted to 11%, 42%, and 47%, respectively. Conclusion : Palliative care was predominantly sought for psychosocial support and discussions concerning goals of care. Despite challenges in ascertaining patient treatment preferences, palliative care consultations proved invaluable in aiding family members and facilitating treatment decision-making. Our study suggests the potential integration of palliative care within neuro-critical care, contributing to a heightened utilization of comfort care at the end-of-life.

Background and Objectives: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a treatment option for patients with heart failure and left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony. However, one-third of CRT patients are non-responders. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an in silico electromechanical heart model to predict CRT outcomes. Methods: The three-dimensional heart geometries of 11 patients (age, 64.0 ± 10.7 years, 4 men) with CRT were constructed from cardiac computed tomography images. The finite element method was used to simulate the electrical wave propagation and mechanics in the heart. We coupled cardiac electrical excitation and mechanical contraction with vascular hemodynamics using a lumped parameter model. We predicted the LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) after CRT implantation using the in silico CRT simulation model. A CRT responder was defined as a patient with an absolute LVEF increase ≥ 5%. We compared the in silico CRT outcomes with the real CRT outcomes. Results: Two patients were in silico CRT responders, and those 2 patients were also real CRT responders. Nine patients were in silico CRT non-responders, 8 who were real CRT non-responders, and 1 who was a real CRT responder. The in silico CRT outcomes agreed with the real CRT outcomes in 10 of 11 patients. The positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the in silico CRT model were 100%, 88.9%, 90.9%, 66.7%, and 100%, respectively. Conclusion The in silico CRT simulation model is feasible for predicting real CRT outcomes.

Primary aldosteronism is a group of disorders in which the autonomous secretion of aldosterone is associated with hypertension and hypokalemia. It is crucial to determine the laterality of aldosterone hypersecretion because treatment options differ accordingly. Adrenal venous sampling (AVS) is considered the most reliable method for assessing the laterality of primary aldosteronism. This procedure is often technically challenging because of the small size and varied locations of the adrenal veins. A better understanding of anatomical variations and careful review of imaging studies would improve sampling success. This report presents three cases of anatomical variations encountered during AVS.

Objectives: We investigate relationship between suicide attempts and peripheral blood inflammatory markers in patients visiting the emergency department (ED) for psychiatric consultations, aiming to identify potential biomarkers for predicting suicide risk. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 569 patients who were referred to psychiatric consultation at the ED from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics and various blood test markers were analyzed. Analyses were performed to compare differences in blood markers between suicide attempters and non-attempters and among those with varying histories of suicide attempts. Results: Among 569 patients, 398 (69.9%) had attempted suicide. Significant differences in leukocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, red blood cells (RBCs), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and ketone bodies were observed between suicide attempters and non-attempters. Further analysis revealed that patients with a history of suicide attempts had higher lymphocyte and eosinophil counts but lower LDH and ketone body levels. An increasing frequency of past suicide attempts correlated with higher lymphocyte and eosinophil count and lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune inflammatory index, glucose, LDH, and ketone body levels. Conclusions We identify blood markers associated with suicide attempts, indicating that leukocyte, lymphocyte, eosinophil, RBC count, LDH, and ketone body levels could serve as potential biomarkers for assessing suicide risk. Findings underscore importance of biological assessments in conjunction with psychological evaluations in predicting and preventing suicide attempts. Further research is needed to validate these biomarkers and understand mechanisms.

Objectives: We investigate relationship between suicide attempts and peripheral blood inflammatory markers in patients visiting the emergency department (ED) for psychiatric consultations, aiming to identify potential biomarkers for predicting suicide risk. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 569 patients who were referred to psychiatric consultation at the ED from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics and various blood test markers were analyzed. Analyses were performed to compare differences in blood markers between suicide attempters and non-attempters and among those with varying histories of suicide attempts. Results: Among 569 patients, 398 (69.9%) had attempted suicide. Significant differences in leukocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, red blood cells (RBCs), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and ketone bodies were observed between suicide attempters and non-attempters. Further analysis revealed that patients with a history of suicide attempts had higher lymphocyte and eosinophil counts but lower LDH and ketone body levels. An increasing frequency of past suicide attempts correlated with higher lymphocyte and eosinophil count and lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune inflammatory index, glucose, LDH, and ketone body levels. Conclusions We identify blood markers associated with suicide attempts, indicating that leukocyte, lymphocyte, eosinophil, RBC count, LDH, and ketone body levels could serve as potential biomarkers for assessing suicide risk. Findings underscore importance of biological assessments in conjunction with psychological evaluations in predicting and preventing suicide attempts. Further research is needed to validate these biomarkers and understand mechanisms.

Objectives: We investigate relationship between suicide attempts and peripheral blood inflammatory markers in patients visiting the emergency department (ED) for psychiatric consultations, aiming to identify potential biomarkers for predicting suicide risk. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 569 patients who were referred to psychiatric consultation at the ED from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Demographic and clinical characteristics and various blood test markers were analyzed. Analyses were performed to compare differences in blood markers between suicide attempters and non-attempters and among those with varying histories of suicide attempts. Results: Among 569 patients, 398 (69.9%) had attempted suicide. Significant differences in leukocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, red blood cells (RBCs), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and ketone bodies were observed between suicide attempters and non-attempters. Further analysis revealed that patients with a history of suicide attempts had higher lymphocyte and eosinophil counts but lower LDH and ketone body levels. An increasing frequency of past suicide attempts correlated with higher lymphocyte and eosinophil count and lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune inflammatory index, glucose, LDH, and ketone body levels. Conclusions We identify blood markers associated with suicide attempts, indicating that leukocyte, lymphocyte, eosinophil, RBC count, LDH, and ketone body levels could serve as potential biomarkers for assessing suicide risk. Findings underscore importance of biological assessments in conjunction with psychological evaluations in predicting and preventing suicide attempts. Further research is needed to validate these biomarkers and understand mechanisms.