Headache in young children in the emergency depart...[Pediatrics. 2009] - PubMed Result

Headache in young children in the emergency depart...[Pediatrics. 2009] - PubMed Result

This study, which ultimately had a relatively low number of children with CT scans for headache - found that only 1 had anything bad - and that kid had an abnormal neuro exam.

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Validation and Refinement of the ABCD2 Score. A Population-Based Analysis -- Fothergill et al., Stroke

In this interesting article in stroke, the ABCD2 score did not work so well in Rochester, MN, back in the 1980s and early 1990s...So what does that mean now?

Validation and Refinement of the ABCD2 Score. A Population-Based Analysis -- Fothergill et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.109.553446 -- Stroke

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Staying alive, staying alive...

How often do you change rescuers during CPR? This interesting study examined fatiguability and perhaps implies that the typical answer of ... whenever may not be good enough.

Mild Induced Hypertension Improves Blood Flow and Oxygen Metabolism in Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia -- Shin et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.499483

Mild Induced Hypertension Improves Blood Flow and Oxygen Metabolism in Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia -- Shin et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.499483 -- Stroke

This is a very interesting study - in mice...

Development of a Metropolitan Matrix of Primary Stroke Centers. The Phoenix Experience -- Demaerschalk et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.500678 -- Stroke

Development of a Metropolitan Matrix of Primary Stroke Centers. The Phoenix Experience -- Demaerschalk et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.500678 -- Stroke

So it appears that the acute stroke care one receives is different on a metropolitan basis now in Houston, Cincinnati, parts of Florida AND now... Phoenix.

The old. Lyse em?

Blackwell Synergy - Eur J Neurol, OnlineEarly Articles (Full Text)

In this study contributes 49 elderly (>80 years) patients who appeared to be safely treated with tPA for stroke. They did not seem to bleed more, but it was a small study, and found that only NIHSS was an independent predictor of outcome (versus the non >80 patients). Likely they did not have enough patients to detect an effect of age as other larger studies have demonstrated that older people do worse with all strokes (but still seem to get a benefit from tPA).

More MRI versus CT in acute stroke

Here is an interesting article, recently epubed in Stroke.

MRI-Based and CT-Based Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Stroke Within and Beyond Established Time Windows. An Analysis of 1210 Patients -- Schellinger et al., 10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.483255 -- Stroke

Retrospective, yes but may add fuel to the MRI instead of CT fire. Also interestingly may provide a rationale for what to do with the 3-6 hour patient (especially if not quite severe enough for the IA/MERCI) - but of course too early for primetime.

This is also the inaugral post of this concept. As science gets epublished nearly every day, keeping up to date and providing commentary using traditional methods (i.e. editorials and letters to the editor which get published weeks / months later) may not be the most efficient way to critique the medical and biomedical science literature.

It is the goal of this blog to provide the place for those interested in neurological emergencies, especially acute stroke, to post interesting articles, discuss them and critique them and consider ideas for further study.