Emergency Neurosurgical Procedures Research Articles

Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during a decompressive hemicraniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury: illustrative case.

Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) can be a life-saving treatment for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a focal mass lesion who develop refractory elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). Nonetheless, successful completion of this procedure requires maintaining hemodynamic and respiratory stability. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use in patients with respiratory or cardiac failure is well described in the literature and has become routinely used in patients with refractory hypoxia unresponsive to traditional mechanical ventilation strategies, but few cases of its use have been reported in the neurosurgical literature. Herein, the authors describe a unique case in which a man presented after an unwitnessed fall that caused severe TBI without a focal mass lesion. The patient subsequently developed medically refractory elevated ICP secondary to traumatic cerebral edema. He required DHC, but the procedure could only be completed safely with the utilization of intraoperative ECMO. As more is learned about the techniques and pitfalls of ECMO, its indications are rapidly expanding. The case presented describes the safe use of ECMO during a major neurosurgical procedure, showing that the technique can be completed safely and offering a therapeutic option for effectively addressing refractory hypoxia and hypercarbia in patients with severe TBI who require urgent or emergency neurosurgical procedures. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24264.

Physiological and radiological parameters predicting outcome from penetrating traumatic brain injury treated in the deployed military setting

IntroductionPenetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death in current military conflicts, and results in significant morbidity in survivors. Identifying those physiological and radiological parameters associated...

Paediatric Neurosurgical emergency operations:Clinical spectrum, Presentation-Intervention Interval and Early operative outcome in Regional Neurosurgical center, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Pediatric neurosurgical emergencies are prevalent worldwide, often triggered by acute, life-threatening conditions that necessitate immediate surgery to prevent disability and death. Managing these conditions perioperatively poses significant challenges for neurosurgeons and anesthetists due to potential complications like anemia, seizures, electrolyte imbalances, intracranial hypertension, and vision threats, alongside the primary neurosurgical issues. Proper correction and optimization of these physiological derangements before surgery are crucial for favorable postoperative outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study analyzes emergency neurosurgical operations performed on children aged sixteen and under at a neurosurgical center in Sokoto, Nigeria, from January 2018 to December 2021. The center caters to a population of approximately twenty million people from three north-western and one north-central Nigerian states, as well as neighboring Niger and Benin republics. The area features a mostly arid climate with limited seasonal rainfall and experiences the Sahara’s harmattan winds. RESULTS A total of 131 children underwent emergency neurosurgical procedures during the study period. The majority were males (71%), with an average age of 5.6 years. Hydrocephalus was the most frequent emergency condition, leading to 44.3% of surgeries, primarily through ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures, which accounted for 42.7% of interventions. Anemia was the most common comorbid condition. The mean time from presentation to intervention was 10 days. Postoperatively, 17.9% of patients suffered from surgical site infections, yet 67.9% had favorable outcomes with a mortality rate of 7.1%. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of timely surgical interventions and highlights the predominance of ventriculoperitoneal shunts in treating pediatric hydrocephalus in the region, with generally positive outcomes despite delays

Tunneled antibiotic-impregnated vs. bolt-connected, non-coated external ventricular drainage: a comparison of complications.

External ventricular drainage (EVD) is a common emergency neurosurgical procedure, but it is not free of adverse events. The aim of this study is to compare the complication rate of two frequently used EVD types, namely, tunneled antibiotic-impregnated catheters (Bactiseal©) and bolt-connected non-coated devices (Camino©). All EVDs placed between 1 March 2015 and 31 December 2017 were registered. Procedures performed with any catheter different from Bactiseal© or Camino© EVD with incomplete follow-up and those EVDs placed due to infectious disease were excluded. Demographic and clinical variables, as well as the overall complication rate (infection, hemorrhage, obstruction, malposition of the catheter, and involuntary pull-out of the device) and the need for replacement of the EVD, were collected. A total of 77 EVDs were finally considered for analysis (40 Bactiseal® and 37 Camino®). There was a statistically significant difference in diagnosis and also in the location of the procedure, as more bolt-connected EVD was placed outside the operating room (97.3 vs. 23.5%, p < 0.001) due to emergent pathologies such as vascular diseases and spontaneous hemorrhages. In the univariate analysis, a statistically significantly higher rate of catheter involuntary pull-out (29.7 vs. 7.5%, p = 0.012) and the need for EVD replacement (32.4 vs. 12.5%, p = 0.035) was found in the Camino cohort. However, those differences could not be confirmed with multivariable analysis, which showed no association between the type of catheter and any of the studied complications. Ventriculostomy duration was identified as a risk factor for infection (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.18). No significant differences were observed regarding infection, hemorrhage, obstruction, malposition, involuntary catheter pull-out, and the need for EVD replacement when comparing non-impregnated bolt-connected EVDs (Camino®) with tunneled antibiotic-impregnated catheters (Bactiseal®). The duration of EVD was associated with an increased risk of infection.

Neurosurgical emergencies during pregnancy - Management dilemmas.

Neurosurgical emergencies in the obstetric setting pose considerable challenges. Decision-making involves deliberations on the gestational age, critical nature of the illness, timing of surgery, maternal positioning during neurosurgery, anesthesiologic strategies, monitoring of the pregnancy during surgery, and the mode of delivery. The present study discusses the management and ethical dilemmas encountered during the management of six obstetric patients with neurosurgical emergencies. A retrospective review of all neurosurgical operations performed between January 2016 and December 2022 were included in the study. This study includes a series of six pregnant women who presented with neurosurgical emergencies, secondary to freshly diagnosed pathologies in the period 2016-2022. The mean maternal age was 31.33 years. Four of the six patients were in the third semester and two were in the second trimester. The underlying etiologies were as follows: spontaneous intracerebral hypertensive hemorrhage (1), obstructive hydrocephalus due to shunt malfunction (1), brain tumor (02), and compressive spinal cord myelopathy due to tumors (02). Three patients who were near term underwent lower cesarean section followed by emergency neurosurgical procedure in the same sitting. Two second trimester patients continued their pregnancy after the emergency neurosurgical operation. In one patient, in whom a brain tumor was diagnosed near term, underwent neurosurgery 1 week after successful cesarean section. All the six mothers and fetus recovered well, ex3cept two patients who have persisting residual deficits. Treatment of neurosurgical emergencies during pregnancy needs to be customized depending on the clinical condition of the pregnant woman, prognosis of the disease, gestational age and the status of the pregnancy. With careful planning, timely intervention, consultative decision making and it is possible to achieve the ultimate goal - which is to protect and safeguard the mother and preserve and deliver a viable fetus.

Clinical outcomes and thermodynamics aspect of direct brain cooling in severe head injury.

Brain cooling therapy is one of the subjects of interest, and currently, data on direct brain cooling are lacking. Hence, the objective is to investigate the clinical outcomes and discuss the thermodynamics aspect of direct brain cooling on severely injured brain patients. This pilot study recruited the severely injured brain patients who were then randomized to either a direct brain cooling therapy group using a constant cooling temperature system or a control group. All studied patients must be subjected to an emergency neurosurgical procedure of decompressive craniectomy and were monitored with intracranial pressure, brain oxygenation, and temperature. Further, comparison was made with our historical group of patients who had direct brain cooling therapy through the old technique. The results disclosed the direct brain cooling treated patients through a newer technique obtained a better Extended Glasgow Outcome Score than a control group (P < 001). In addition, there is a significant outcome difference between the combined cooling treated patients (new and old technique) with the control group (P < 0.001). Focal brain oxygenation and temperature are likely factors that correlate with better outcomes. Direct brain cooling is feasible, safe, and affects the clinical outcomes of the severely traumatized brain, and physics of thermodynamics may play a role in its pathophysiology.

Neurosurgical service during COVID-19 pandemics in Ljubljana, Slovenia - lessons learned

Introduction: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became an important and urgent threat to global health. In Slovenia, the COVID-19 struck the health system immensely. Neurosurgery experienced difficulties, not only in regular, elective surgeries, but also during emergency situations. Methods: In the article, we analyse and compare the number of elective and emergency neurosurgical procedures during the time of the pandemic (from March 2018 to February 2020) and describe our protocol in the management of neurosurgical patients in the Medical Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Results: There were 2597 patients treated surgically, including 1932 emergency patients and 665 emergency patients. Overall, we recorded an 11.2% drop in all neurosurgical procedures in two years after COVID-19 was declared compared to two years before. Elective procedures decreased by 13.9%, mostly on account of spinal pathology procedures (245, 23.5%), functional neurosurgical procedures (37 cases, 24.7%), endonasal endoscopy procedures (11, 12.8%), and brain lesions (31, 4.8%). Conclusion: COVID-19 had a vast impact on the healthcare system in Slovenia, including on neurosurgery. New and improved strategies to maintain neurosurgical practice during public health emergencies are necessary for the neurosurgical service and healthcare system to run smoothly in the long term and prevent disruptions during future pandemics.

Problematics of neurosurgical service during the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 that still poses an important and urgent threat to global health. In Slovenia, the epidemic was declared on March 12th, 2020, and since then COVID-19 has had a great impact on our health system. The field of neurosurgery in particular has been experiencing difficulties in both elective and emergency service. In this article, we described epidemiologic protocols and the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the surgical practice and workflow of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. We analyzed and compared the number of elective and emergency neurosurgical procedures in a 2-year period before and during the pandemic. We recorded a drop in cases mostly on account of elective procedures whilst emergency service remained relatively unaffected.

Attitudes Toward Neurosurgery Education for the Nonneurosurgeon: A Survey Study and Critical Analysis of U.S. Military Training Techniques and Future Prospects

The U.S. military requires medical readiness to support forward-deployed combat operations. Because time and distance to neurosurgical capabilities vary within the deployed trauma system, nonneurosurgeons are required to perform emergent cranial procedures in select cases. It is unclear whether these surgeons have sufficient training in these procedures. This quality-improvement study involved a voluntary, anonymized specialty-specific survey of active-duty surgeons about their experience and attitudes toward U.S. military emergency neurosurgical training. Survey responses were received from 104 general surgeons and 26 neurosurgeons. Among general surgeons, 81% have deployed and 53% received training in emergency neurosurgical procedures before deployment. Only 16% of general surgeons reported participating in craniotomy/craniectomy procedures in the last year. Nine general surgeons reported performing an emergency neurosurgical procedure while on deployment/humanitarian mission, and 87% of respondents expressed interest in further predeployment emergency neurosurgery training. Among neurosurgeons, 81% had participated in training nonneurosurgeons and 73% believe that more comprehensive training for nonneurosurgeons before deployment is needed. General surgeons proposed lower procedure minimums for competency for external ventricular drain placement and craniotomy/craniectomy than did neurosurgeons. Only 37% of general surgeons had used mixed/augmented reality in any capacity previously; for combat procedures, most (90%) would prefer using synchronous supervision via high-fidelity video teleconferencing over mixed reality. These survey results show a gap in readiness for neurosurgical procedures for forward-deployed general surgeons. Capitalizing on capabilities such as mixed/augmented reality would be a force multiplier and a potential means of improving neurosurgical capabilities in the forward-deployed environments.

Mixed reality surgical mentoring of combat casualty care related procedures in a perfused cadaver model: Initial results of a randomized feasibility study

BackgroundMost telemedicine modalities have limited ability to enhance procedural and operative care. We developed a novel system to provide synchronous bidirectional expert mixed reality-enabled virtual procedural mentoring. In this feasibility study, we evaluated mixed reality mentoring of combat casualty care related procedures in a re-perfused cadaver model. MethodsNovices received real-time holographic mentoring from experts using augmented reality via Hololens (Microsoft Inc, Redmond, WA). The experts maintained real-time awareness of the novice’s operative environment using virtual reality via HTC-Vive (HTC Corp, Xindian District, Taiwan). Additional cameras (both environments) and novel software created the immersive, shared, 3-dimensional mixed reality environment in which the novice and expert collaborated. The novices were prospectively randomized to either mixed reality or audio-only mentoring. Blinded experts independently evaluated novice procedural videos using a 5-point Likert scale-based questionnaire. Nonparametric variables were evaluated using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and comparisons using the χ2 analysis; significance was defined at P < .05. ResultsSurgeon and nonsurgeon novices (14) performed 69 combat casualty care-related procedures (38 mixed reality, 31 audio), including various vascular exposures, 4-compartment lower leg fasciotomy, and emergency neurosurgical procedures; 85% were performed correctly with no difference in either group. Upon video review, mixed reality–mentored novices showed no difference in procedural flow and forward planning (3.67 vs 3.28, P = .21) or the likelihood of performing individual procedural steps correctly (4.12 vs 3.59, P = .06). ConclusionIn this initial feasibility study, our novel mixed reality-based mentoring system successfully facilitated the performance of a wide variety of combat casualty care relevant procedures using a high fidelity re-perfused cadaver model. The small sample size and limited variety of novice types likely impacted the ability of holographically mentored novices to demonstrate improvement over the audio-only control group. Despite this, using virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies for procedural mentoring demonstrated promise, and further study is needed.

Prophylactic Unfractionated Subcutaneous Heparin Does Not Increase Postoperative Hemorrhage in Elderly Patients Undergoing Emergency Neurosurgical Procedures.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact in the development of intracerebral hemorrhage in elderly critically ill patients who received prophylactic subcutaneous unfractionated heparin (SCUFH) less than 24 hours after undergoing emergency neurosurgery. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent emergency neurosurgery and were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at a tertiary care center over a 10-year period. Administration of prophylactic SCUFH within 24 hours of neurosurgery was required for inclusion. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The primary outcome was a rate of postoperative hemorrhagic complications with respect to age.ResultsWe identified 223 emergency neurosurgical patients: 100 (45%) patients did not receive prophylactic SCUFH and were excluded. The remaining 123 (55%) patients met all inclusion criteria, of whom 73 (59%) patients were under 65 years old, and 50 (41%) patients were over 65 years old. Patients under 65 years old had significantly lower body mass index (BMI), lower Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE III, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) scores, and shorter median SICU length of stay compared to patients over 65 years old. No statistically significant difference in the rate of postoperative hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic neurological complications was observed between patients in either age group. ConclusionAge over 65 years was not associated with a higher risk of postoperative hemorrhage in patients who received SCUFH after emergency neurosurgery. SCUFH can be safely used as a chemoprophylactic agent against venous thromboembolism for elderly patients when used within 24 hours after emergency neurosurgery.

Disparities in neurosurgical care for traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public-health problem affecting over 27 million individuals worldwide annually. 1 James SL Theadom A Ellenbogen RG et al. Global, regional, and national burden of traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol. 2019; 18: 56-87 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (504) Google Scholar Although most of these injuries are mild, patients with moderate or severe injuries can have a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Some patients require emergency neurosurgical procedures, yet there are substantial gaps in access to neurosurgical care, 2 Corley J Lepard J Barthélemy E Ashby JL Park KB Essential neurosurgical workforce needed to address neurotrauma in low- and middle-income countries. World Neurosurg. 2019; 123: 295-299 Crossref PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar , 3 Maas AIR Menon DK Adelson PD et al. Traumatic brain injury: integrated approaches to improve prevention, clinical care, and research. Lancet Neurol. 2017; 16: 987-1048 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (867) Google Scholar which are particularly acute in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). 3 Maas AIR Menon DK Adelson PD et al. Traumatic brain injury: integrated approaches to improve prevention, clinical care, and research. Lancet Neurol. 2017; 16: 987-1048 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (867) Google Scholar However, our understanding of these deficiencies—and, thus, our ability to address them—has been hampered by the lack of high quality epidemiological data. Casemix, management, and mortality of patients receiving emergency neurosurgery for traumatic brain injury in the Global Neurotrauma Outcomes Study: a prospective observational cohort studyPatients receiving emergency neurosurgery for TBI differed considerably in their admission characteristics and management across human development settings. Level of human development was associated with mortality. Substantial opportunities to improve care globally were identified, including reducing delays to surgery. Between-hospital variation in mortality suggests changes at an institutional level could influence outcome and comparative effectiveness research could identify best practices. Full-Text PDF

Incidence of emergency neurosurgical TBI procedures: a population-based study

BackgroundThe rates of emergency neurosurgery in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients vary between populations and trauma centers. In planning acute TBI treatment, knowledge about rates and incidence of emergency neurosurgery at the population level is of importance for organization and planning of specialized health care services. This study aimed to present incidence rates and patient characteristics for the most common TBI-related emergency neurosurgical procedures.MethodsOslo University Hospital is the only trauma center with neurosurgical services in Southeast Norway, which has a population of 3 million. We extracted prospectively collected registry data from the Oslo TBI Registry – Neurosurgery over a five-year period (2015–2019). Incidence was calculated in person-pears (crude) and age-adjusted for standard population. We conducted multivariate multivariable logistic regression models to assess variables associated with emergency neurosurgical procedures.ResultsA total of 2151 patients with pathological head CT scans were included. One or more emergency neurosurgical procedure was performed in 27% of patients. The crude incidence was 3.9/100,000 person-years. The age-adjusted incidences in the standard population for Europe and the world were 4.0/100,000 and 3.3/100,000, respectively. The most frequent emergency neurosurgical procedure was the insertion of an intracranial pressure monitor, followed by evacuation of the mass lesion. Male sex, road traffic accidents, severe injury (low Glasgow coma score) and CT characteristics such as midline shift and compressed/absent basal cisterns were significantly associated with an increased probability of emergency neurosurgery, while older age was associated with a decreased probability.ConclusionsThe incidence of emergency neurosurgery in the general population is low and reflects neurosurgery procedures performed in patients with severe injuries. Hence, emergency neurosurgery for TBIs should be centralized to major trauma centers.

Development and validation of a rapidly deployable CT-guided stereotactic system for external ventricular drainage: preclinical study

External ventricular drainage (EVD) is an emergency neurosurgical procedure to decrease intracranial pressure through a catheter mediated drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. Most EVD catheters are placed using free hands without direct visualization of the target and catheter trajectory, leading to a high rate of complications- hemorrhage, brain injury and suboptimal catheter placement. Use of stereotactic systems can prevent these complications. However, they have found limited application for this procedure due to their long set-up time and expensive hardware. Therefore, we have developed and pre-clinically validated a novel 3D printed stereotactic system for rapid and accurate implantation of EVD catheters. Its mechanical and imaging accuracies were found to be at par with clinical stereotactic systems. Preclinical trial in human cadaver specimens revealed improved targeting accuracy achieved within an acceptable time frame compared to the free hand technique. CT angiography emulated using cadaver specimen with radio-opaque vascular contrast showed vessel free catheter trajectory. This could potentially translate to reduced hemorrhage rate. Thus, our 3D printed stereotactic system offers the potential to improve the accuracy and safety of EVD catheter placement for patients without significantly increasing the procedure time.

Is neurotrauma training in rural New South Wales still required following the implementation of the New South Wales State Trauma Plan?

In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, trauma accounts for 6% of deaths. Trauma patients receiving definitive care in regional trauma centres are 34% more likely to have a fatal outcome compared to level 1 centres. Following the implementation of the NSW State Trauma Plan where patients with major trauma are fast tracked to regional trauma services, should NSW rural surgeons and retrieval doctors continue to receive surgical training in neurotrauma? The study's primary objective was to ascertain which NSW regional and rural hospitals have the equipment to perform neurotrauma and when it was last used. The study also examined the outcome of those patients who had undergone an emergency neurosurgical procedure. Of the 149 regional and rural hospitals in NSW, 16 stored a Hudson brace, perforator, burr and Gigli saw sterile and ready to use in the operating theatre. Only one hospital utilised the equipment in the last year and 11 in the last 10 years. Of those patients who had undergone an emergency neurosurgical procedure, two patients died prior to transfer and three were confirmed deceased after transfer to a tertiary centre. The implementation of the NSW State Trauma Plan has streamlined the trauma triage process and transport of neurotrauma patients to regional and major trauma services. However, it is likely that knowledge of how to perform burr hole and craniectomy for the evacuation of extradural haematoma remains a useful skill for the rural surgeon and retrieval doctor if transport is delayed.

Gentamycin irrigation significantly reduces 28-day surgical site infection after emergency neurosurgery

Objective This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of gentamycin irrigation in preventing postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) in emergency neurosurgical procedures. Methods A total of 518 consecutive emergency neurosurgeries, including craniotomies, endoscopic and burr hole procedures were reviewed retrospectively. Patients received either only normal saline (NS) irrigation or NS irrigation with gentamycin added (80 mg/L) during the whole process of surgery. SSIs including wound infection and intracranial infection were the primary outcome. SSI was considered while purulence was observed during wound dressing and confirmed with bacterial culture of wound exudation. In addition, positive result of bacterial growth culture of cerebrospinal fluid was also considered as infection. Infection rates were calculated 28 days after surgery. Statistical analysis was performed using t test or Chi-squared test where appropriate. Results This study included 444 patients. Gentamycin was used in 179 (40.3%) patients. Only 2 (1.1%) of 179 patients receiving gentamycin irrigation had an infection. However, among the other 265 patients receiving only NS irrigation, the infection rate was 8.3%. With the addition of gentamycin, the infection rate was decreased by 86.7% (P = 0.001). The two infected patients in gentamycin group were compromised postoperatively: one patient had removed his own extraventricular drainage tube accidentally due to restlessness, and the other had severely contaminated his wound with vomitus during the intracranial drainage tube removal process. If these two patients were excluded from analysis, the effective infection rate using gentamycin irrigation is 0%. Conclusion The gentamycin plus NS irrigation during emergency neurosurgical procedures can lead to a significantly lower rate of postoperative infection than when NS is used alone.

Approach to Emergent Neurotrauma-related Neurosurgical Procedures in Patients with Hepatic Disease

AbstractLiver diseases constitute a group of pathologies of extraordinary importance, because of the large number of patients who suffer from these as well as the consequences that they can have on these individuals if they undergo any surgical procedure. Therefore, these patients have greater risk of suffering unfavorable outcomes than a healthy person undergoing emergency neurosurgical procedures (ENP) for neurotrauma. For this reason, there is a need to classify these patients according to their surgical risk based on risk factors secondary to the concurrent hepatic derangements. Among the possible tools that allow us to stage patients with liver disease are the Child–Turcotte–Pugh (CTP) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scales, which have proven utility in effectively predicting the outcomes, including morbidity and mortality in hepatic disease patients who are undergoing surgery. They also help to predict the risk of complications such as intracranial hemorrhage secondary to coagulopathy due to hepatic derangement.

The Risk of Spread of Infection During Craniotomy/Craniostomy on Patients with Active Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection: Myth or Fact?

ObjectivesCraniotomies/craniostomies have been categorized as aerosol-generating procedures and are presumed to spread coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the presence of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 virus in the generated bone dust has never been proved. Our objective is to evaluate the presence of virus in the bone dust (aerosol) generated during emergency neurosurgical procedures performed on patients with active COVID-19. This would determine the true risk of disease transmission during the surgery.MethodsTen patients with active COVID-19 infection admitted to our institute in 1 month required emergency craniotomy/craniostomy. The bone dust and mucosal scrapings form paranasal sinuses (if opened) collected during these procedures were tested for the virus using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The entire surgical team was observed for any symptoms related to COVID-19 for 14 days following surgery.ResultsNine patients had moderate viral load in their nasopharyngeal cavity, as detected on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. None of the samples of bone dust from these 10 patients tested positive. Mucosal scrapping obtained in 1 patient in which mastoid air cells were inadvertently opened tested negative as well. No health workers from the operating room developed COVID-19–related symptoms.ConclusionsThe bone dust generated during craniotomy/stomy of active patients does not contain the virus. The procedure on an active patient is unlikely to spread the disease. However, a study with larger cohort would be confirmatory.

Do safety-net hospitals provide equitable care after decompressive surgery for acute cauda equina syndrome?

IntroductionSafety-net hospitals provide care to a substantial share of disadvantaged patient populations. Whether disparities exist between safety-net hospitals and their counterparts in performing emergent neurosurgical procedures has not yet been examined. ObjectiveWe used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), a national all-payer inpatient healthcare database, to determine whether safety-net hospitals provide equitable care after decompressive surgery for acute cauda equina syndrome (CES). MethodsThe NIS from 2002 to 2011 was queried for patients with a diagnosis of acute CES who received decompressive surgery. Hospital safety-net burden was designated as low (LBH), medium (MBH), or high (HBH) based on the proportion of inpatient admissions that were billed as Medicaid, self-pay, or charity care. Etiologies of CES were classified as degenerative, neoplastic, trauma, and infectious. Significance was defined at p < 0.01. ResultsA total of 5607 admissions were included in this analysis. HBHs were more likely than LBHs to treat patients who were Black, Hispanic, on Medicaid, or had a traumatic CES etiology (p < 0.001). After adjusting for patient, hospital, and clinical factors treatment at an HBH was not associated with greater inpatient adverse events (p = 0.611) or LOS (p = 0.082), but was associated with greater inflation-adjusted admission cost (p = 0.001). DiscussionEmergent decompressive surgery for CES performed at SNHs is associated with greater inpatient costs, but not greater inpatient adverse events or LOS. Differences in workflows at SNHs may be the drivers of these disparities in cost and warrant further investigation.

Safety and efficacy of prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) for anticoagulation reversal in patients undergoing urgent neurosurgical procedures: a systematic review and metaanalysis.

Anticoagulant therapy poses a significant risk for patients undergoing emergency neurosurgery procedures, necessitating reversal with prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) or fresh frozen plasma (FFP). Data on PCC efficacy lack consistency in this setting. This systematic review and metaanalysis aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of PCC for anticoagulation reversal in the context of urgent neurosurgery. Articles from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were screened according to the PRISMA checklist. Adult patients receiving anticoagulation reversal with PCC for emergency neurosurgical procedures were included. When available, patients who received FFP were included as a comparison group. Pooled estimates of observational studies were calculated for efficacy and safety outcomes via random-effects modeling. Initial search returned 4505 articles, of which 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Anticoagulants used included warfarin (83%), rivaroxaban (6.8%), phenprocoumon (6.1%), apixaban (2.2%), and dabigatran (1.5%). The mean International Normalized Ratio (INR) prePCC administration ranged from 2.3 to 11.7, while postPCC administration from 1.1 to 1.4. All-cause mortality at 30days was 27% (95%CI 21, 34%; I2 = 44.6%; p-heterogeneity = 0.03) and incidence of thromboembolic events was 6.00% among patients treated with PCC (95%CI 4.00, 10.0%; I2 = 0%; p-heterogeneity = 0.83). Results comparing PCC and FFP demonstrated no statistically significant differences in INR reversal, mortality, or incidence of thromboembolic events. This metaanalysis demonstrated adequate safety and efficacy for PCC in the reversal of anticoagulation for urgent neurosurgical procedures. There was no significant difference between PCC and FFP, though further trials would be useful in demonstrating the safety and efficacy of PCC in this setting.