Background Analgo-sedation plays an important role during intensive care management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, however, limited evidence is available to guide practice. We sought to... Show moreBackground Analgo-sedation plays an important role during intensive care management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, however, limited evidence is available to guide practice. We sought to quantify practice-pattern variation in neurotrauma sedation management, surveying an international sample of providers. Methods: An electronic survey consisting of 56 questions was distributed internationally to neurocritical care providers utilizing the Research Electronic Data Capture platform. Descriptive statistics were used to quantitatively describe and summarize the responses. Results: Ninety-five providers from 37 countries responded. 56.8% were attending physicians with primary medical training most commonly in intensive care medicine (68.4%) and anesthesiology (26.3%). Institutional sedation guidelines for TBI patients were available in 43.2%. Most common sedative agents for induction and maintenance, respectively, were propofol (87.5% and 88.4%), opioids (60.2% and 70.5%), and benzodiazepines (53.4% and 68.4%). Induction and maintenance sedatives, respectively, are mostly chosen according to provider preference (68.2% and 58.9%) rather than institutional guidelines (26.1% and 35.8%). Sedation duration for patients with intracranial hypertension ranged from 24 h to 14 days. Neurological wake-up testing (NWT) was routinely performed in 70.5%. The most common NWT frequency was every 24 h (47.8%), although 20.8% performed NWT at least every 2 h. Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale targets varied from deep sedation (34.7%) to alert and calm (17.9%). Conclusions: Among critically ill TBI patients, sedation management follows provider preference rather than institutional sedation guidelines. Wide practice-pattern variation exists for the type, duration, and target of sedative management and NWT performance. Future comparative effectiveness research investigating these differences may help optimize sedation strategies to promote recovery. Show less
Background and Purpose:Critically ill patients require a careful approach for prognosis and decision-making. The German health legislation aims to strengthen the role of advance directives (ADs)... Show moreBackground and Purpose:Critically ill patients require a careful approach for prognosis and decision-making. The German health legislation aims to strengthen the role of advance directives (ADs) and health-care proxies (HCPs). Their impact within a dedicated neurocritical care setting is unknown. This study aimed to assess the practice of withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining therapy (WOLST) in a German neurointensive care unit (NICU) focusing on whether AD or HCP is associated with timing and treatment intensity.Methods:Data on patients who died after WOLST at a dedicated NICU of a German university hospital, from 2010 to 2013, were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Of 400 deceased patients, 310 (77.5%) died after initiation of WOLST. Among them, 68 (21.9%) were identified to have AD or HCP or both (AD + HCP). WOLST patients with AD, HCP, or AD + HCP were older than those without (median age: 77 vs 72 years, P < .001) but did not show any other distinct baseline features. There was no difference in the specific neurocritical care measures between the groups. Poisson regression analysis showed no significant difference in the probability of time-dependent WOLST initiation between those with and without AD/HCP, after adjusting for age and sex (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-1.28; P = .244).Conclusions:In this single-center study of mainly cerebrovascular NICU patients, AD or HCP was neither associated with an earlier WOLST nor associated with a difference in treatment intensity before WOLST. Further prospective studies should assess the emerging concept of advance care planning in neurocritical care. Show less
Dreier, J.P.; Fabricius, M.; Ayata, C.; Sakowitz, O.W.; Shuttleworth, C.W.; Dohmen, C.; ... ; Hartings, J.A. 2017
