We found that hypertonic saline is more effective than mannitol for the treatment of elevated intracranial pressure. Our meta-analysis is limited by the small number and size of eligible trials, but our findings suggest that hypertonic saline may be superior to the current standard of care and argue for a large, multicenter, randomized trial to definitively establish the first-line medical therapy for intracranial hypertension.

Backgrounds After traumatic brain injury (TBI), hemorrhagic progression of contusions (HPCs) occurs frequently. However, there is no established predictive score to identify high-risk patients for HPC. Methods Consecutive patients who were hospitalized (2008–2013) with non-penetrating moderate or severe TBI were studied. The primary outcome was HPC, defined by both a relative increase in contusion volume by ≥30 % and an absolute increase by ≥10 mL on serial imaging. Logistic regression models were created to identify independent risk factors for HPC. The HPC Score was then derived based on the final model. Results Among a total of 286 eligible patients, 61 (21 %) patients developed HPC. On univariate analyses, HPC was associated with older age, higher initial blood pressure, antiplatelet medications, anticoagulants, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) subdural hematoma (SDH), skull fracture, frontal contusion, larger contusion volume, and shorter interval from injury to initial CT. In the final model, SAH (OR 6.33, 95 % CI, 1.80–22.23), SDH (OR 3.46, 95 % CI, 1.39–8.63), and skull fracture (OR 2.67, 95 % CI, 1.28–5.58) were associated with HPC. Based on these factors, the HPC Score was derived (SAH = 2 points, SDH = 1 point, and skull fracture = 1 point). This score had an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.77. Patients with a score of 0–2 had a 4.0 % incidence of HPC, while patients with a score of 3–4 had a 34.6 % incidence of HPC. Conclusions A simple HPC Score was developed for early risk stratification of HPC in patients with moderate or severe TBI.

Introduction We hypothesized that the degree of preserved functional connectivity within the DMN during the first week after cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) would be associated with functional outcome at hospital discharge. Methods Initially comatose CPA survivors with indeterminate prognosis at 72 hours were enrolled. Seventeen CPA subjects between 4–7 days after CPA and 17 matched controls were studied with task-free fMRI. Independent component analysis was performed to delineate the DMN. Connectivity strength in the DMN was compared between CPA subjects and controls, as well as between CPA subjects with good outcome (discharge Cerebral Performance Category or CPC 1–2) and those with bad outcome (CPC 3–5). The relationship between connectivity strength in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precuneus (PC) within the DMN with discharge CPC was evaluated using linear regression. Results Compared to controls, CPA subjects had significantly lower connectivity strength in subregions of the DMN, the PCC and PC (p <0.0001). Furthermore, connectivity strength in the PCC and PC was greater in CPA subjects with good outcome (n=8) than those with bad outcome (n=9) (p <0.003). Among CPA subjects, the connectivity strength in the PCC and PC showed strong linear correlations with the discharge CPC (p <0.005). Conclusion Among initially comatose CPA survivors with indeterminate prognosis, task-free fMRI demonstrated graded disruption of DMN connectivity, especially in those with bad outcomes. If confirmed, connectivity strength in the PC/PCC may provide a clinically useful prognostic marker for functional recovery after CPA.