Objective Immune dysregulation influences outcome following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Admission white blood cell (WBC) counts are routinely obtained, making the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) a readily available biomarker of the immune response to stroke. This study sought to identify the relationship between NLR and 90 day AIS outcome. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent endovascular therapy for AIS at West Virginia University Hospitals, Morgantown, West Virginia. Admission WBC differentials were analyzed as the NLR. Stroke severity was measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and outcome by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days. Univariate relationships between NLR, age, NIHSS, and mRS were established by correlation coefficients; the t test was used to compare NLR with recanalization and stroke location (anterior vs posterior). Logistic regression models were developed to identify the ability of NLR to predict mRS when controlling for age, recanalization, and treatment with IV tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Results 116 patients were reviewed from 2008 to 2011. Mean age of the sample was 67 years, and 54% were women. Mean baseline NIHSS score was 17 and 90 day mRS score was 4. There was a significant relationship between NLR and mRS (p=0.02) that remained when controlling for age, treatment with IV tPA, and recanalization. NLR ≥5.9 predicted poor outcome and death at 90 days. Conclusions This study shows that the NLR, a readily available biomarker, may be a clinically useful tool for risk stratification when evaluating AIS patients as candidates for endovascular therapies.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory biomarker of inflammation and may reflect progression of vascular disease. Conflicting evidence suggests CRP may be a prognostic biomarker of ischemic stroke outcome. Most studies that have examined the relationship between CRP and ischemic stroke outcome have used mortality or subsequent vascular event as the primary outcome measure. Given that nearly half of stroke patients experience moderate to severe functional impairments, using a biomarker like CRP to predict functional recovery rather than mortality may have clinical utility for guiding acute stroke treatments. The primary aim of this study was to systematically and critically review the relationship between CRP and long-term functional outcome in ischemic stroke patients to evaluate the current state of the literature. PubMed and MEDLINE databases were searched for original studies which assessed the relationship between acute CRP levels measured within 24 hours of symptom onset and long-term functional outcome. The search yielded articles published between 1989 and 2012. Included studies used neuroimaging to confirm ischemic stroke diagnosis, high-sensitivity CRP assay, and a functional outcome scale to assess prognosis beyond 30 days after stroke. Study quality was assessed using the REMARK recommendations. Five studies met all inclusion criteria. Results indicate a significant association between elevated baseline high sensitivity CRP and unfavorable long-term functional outcome. Our results emphasize the need for additional research to characterize the relationship between acute inflammatory markers and long-term functional outcome using well-defined diagnostic criteria. Additional studies are warranted to prospectively examine the relationship between high sensitivity CRP measures and long-term outcome.

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Introduction Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is present in approximately 10% of ICU admissions and is associated with great morbidity and mortality. Prone ventilation has been shown to improve refractory hypoxemia and mortality in patients with ARDS. Methods In this simulation, a 70-year-old male had been transferred to the ICU for ARDS and was undergoing scheduled prone ventilation as part of his care when he experienced a cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to a tension pneumothorax. Learners demonstrated how to manage cardiac arrest in a prone patient and subsequently identified and treated the tension pneumothorax that was the cause of his initial arrest. This single-session simulation for internal medicine residents (PGY 1-PGY 4) utilized a prone mannequin connected to a ventilator in a high-fidelity simulation center. Following the simulation, facilitators led a team debriefing and reviewed key learning objectives. Results A total of 103 internal medicine residents participated in this simulation. Of those, 43 responded to a postsimulation survey. Forty-two of 43 agreed or strongly agreed that all learning objectives were met, that the simulation was appropriate for their level of training, and that their participation would be useful for their future practice. Discussion We designed this simulation to improve learners' familiarity with prone cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to enhance overall comfort with cardiac arrest management. Postsimulation survey results and debriefings revealed that the simulation was a valuable education opportunity, and learners felt that their participation in this simulation would be helpful in their future practice.

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