Botulism and tetanus result from intoxication with the protein neurotoxins elaborated by two related species of Clostridium. The toxins are very similar in structure and function but differ dramatically in their clinical effects because they target different cells in the…
History Tetanus was well known to the ancients; descriptions by Egyptian and Greek physicians survive to the present. They recognized the frequent relationship between injuries and the subsequent development of fatal spasms. Gowers provided the quintessential description of tetanus in…
Before procedure Indications Suspicion of a central nervous system (CNS) infection Suspicion of a subarachnoid hemorrhage The need to obtain cerebrospinal fluid to diagnose other inflammatory or degenerative CNS diseases Reduction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in pseudotumor cerebri Contraindications…
Abnormal neuromuscular function may precipitate a patient’s admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) or it may develop because of another critical illness and its treatment. This chapter focuses primarily on respiratory failure caused by neuromuscular disease but also addresses…
Introduction The routine use of continuous electroencephalographic (cEEG) recordings in intensive care demonstrates that clinical seizures in critically ill patients, both with neurologic and nonneurologic conditions, are the tip of the iceberg regarding seizure frequency in this vulnerable population. Nonconvulsive…