Introduction The human body breathes in and out an average of 10–16 times per minute. The air we breathe contains 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% carbon dioxide and other gases. For an average adult body, the volume of each…
Introduction Therapeutic hypothermia—the intentional lowering of temperature in an attempt to mitigate injurious processes—has undergone several life cycles in medical practice. Interest in hypothermia may have first been introduced into medical practice from reports centuries ago suggesting that injured soldiers…
Acknowledgments With thanks to Leslie McCann for her unflagging patience in the editing of the manuscript. And with great appreciation for all of those laboratory scientists who have dedicated so much effort to finding a safe and effective treatment for…
Indications A lumbar puncture (LP) is indicated for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is used to sample the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to aid in the diagnosis of infectious, inflammatory, hemorrhagic, and oncologic conditions. An urgent LP is indicated to…
Indications and Contraindications The placement of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is a very common neurosurgical bedside procedure. EVDs are commonly placed to manage hydrocephalus and monitor intracranial pressure (ICP) in a wide variety of pathologies. Despite their widespread use,…
Indications and Contraindications Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitors directly measure ICPs in the epidural, subdural, intraparenchymal, or intraventricular space. Although they do not allow for direct cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, unlike external ventricular drains (EVD), ICP monitors are associated with fewer…
Indications and Contraindications A shunt tap has both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Two commonly encountered reasons to tap a shunt include determining if there is proper flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the shunt and sampling the CSF for diagnostic…
Consult Page Hi there, for room 21, patient seems sleepier, please come evaluate him. Initial Imaging None Walking Thoughts π Why is the patient admitted? Did the patient have surgery and if so, what type of surgery and when did…
Consult Page Pt w known AVM, here with weakness. Initial Imaging Walking Thoughts ▪ How weak is the patient? Where is the patient’s weakness? How long has he been symptomatic? ▪ Does the patient have any other deficits on examination?…
Consult Page 55F s/p spine surgery with leakage from wound and headaches Initial Imaging Walking Thoughts ■ What surgery did the patient have? When was the patient’s surgery? ■ Were there any complications? Was there a durotomy or a cerebrospinal…