Glucose and Nutrition
Introduction Hyperglycemia is common in acutely ill patients. In the past, stress hyperglycemia was considered to be a beneficial adaptive response. However, prospective observational and clinical trial data show a…
Principles of Cerebral Metabolism and Blood Flow
Introduction The brain’s survival and function depend on its ability to maintain a constant supply of oxygen and energy-rich substrate. To accomplish this feat the complex architecture of the brain…
Designing the Neurocritical Care Unit for Better Patient Care
Introduction There is growing evidence that the physical design of clinical spaces affects the quality, efficiency, and experience of care in intensive care units (ICUs) and other settings. These effects…
Nursing and Education
Introduction Nurses and physicians come from two distinctly different programs. In the neurocritical care unit (NCCU) they work side by side but may not have been provided with the opportunity…
Informatics Infrastructure for the Neurocritical Care Unit
Introduction S.P. is a 60-year-old female with a history of hypertension who presented comatose with a left thalamic intracerebral hemorrhage associated with intraventricular hemorrhage, midline shift, and localized mass effect….
Monitors During Anesthesia: Effects of Anesthetic Agents on Monitors
Introduction Need for Anesthesia and Monitoring During Surgery Monitoring is an essential component of patient care in the operating room, and standard monitoring mandated by the American Society of Anesthesiology…
Brain Monitoring Issues in Pediatrics
Introduction Neuromonitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU) is undertaken for several acute neurologic conditions in children. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) constitutes the most common indication for neuromonitoring because injury…
Why Monitor and Principles of Neurocritical Care
Introduction The collective burden of critical neurologic illnesses is overwhelming. Stroke occurs in about 800,000 individuals each year in the United States, with case fatality rates from acute ischemic stroke…
Quality Assessment in the Neurocritical Care Unit
Introduction Intensive care is one of the most expensive forms of care delivered by a hospital system. In 1993, intensive care represented 25% to 30% of acute hospital costs and…
Clinical Assessment in the Neurocritical Care Unit
Introduction Many patients in the neurocritical care unit (NCCU) are in coma, have altered consciousness, or have a disease process that may lead to altered consciousness. Coma and other disorders…
