This study reviews our experience with the safety and tolerability of levetiracetam (LVM) with different methods of intravenous administration in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We used retrospective chart review to identify 33 ICU patients who received intravenous LVM for treatment of seizures. Collected data included age, gender, diagnosis on admission, dosing regimen, documented seizure activity, adverse reactions, concomitant use of other antiepileptic drugs, and condition on discharge. A total of 33 ICU patients were given intravenous (IV) LVM as add-on treatment to standard regimen for treatment of breakthrough seizures or status epilepticus or given as preventive medication postoperatively. Among these 33 patients, 16 received intravenous LVM as bolus, and 17 received intravenous LVM as continuous infusion. Safety and tolerability of intravenous LVM were evaluated on the basis of the occurrence of adverse or side effects reported in daily progress notes of the physicians and nurses. There were no significant adverse or side effects reported in daily progress notes. The addition of intravenous LVM to the standard regimen for controlling seizures in ICU patients seems feasible and tolerable.

Background/Objective To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and outcomes in patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Single-center retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the hospital with acute ischemic stroke, between December 1 st , 2019 and June 30 th ,2020. Outcomes were classified as none-to-minimal disability, moderate-to-severe disability, and death based on discharge disposition, and compared between two time periods: pre-COVID-19 era (December 1 st , 2019 to March 11 th , 2020) and COVID-19 era (March 12 th to June 30 th , 2020). We also performed a comparative trend analysis for the equivalent period between 2019 and 2020. Results Five hundred and seventy-five patients with a mean age (years±SD) of 68 ±16 were admitted from December 1 st , 2019 to June 30 th , 2020, with a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. Of these, 255 (44.3%) patients were admitted during the COVID-19 era. We observed a 22.1% and 39.5% decline in admission for acute ischemic stroke in April and May 2020, respectively. A significantly higher percentage of patients with acute ischemic stroke received intravenous thrombolysis during the COVID-19 era (p=0.020). In patients with confirmed COVID-19, we found a higher percentage of older men with preexisting comorbidities such as hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus but a lower rate of atrial fibrillation. In addition, we found a treatment delay in both intravenous thrombolysis (median 94.5 min versus 38 min) and mechanical thrombectomy (median 244 min versus 86 min) in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. There were no differences in patients’ disposition including home, short-term, and long-term facility (p=0.60). Conclusions We observed a reduction of hospital admissions in acute ischemic strokes and some delay in reperfusion therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prospective studies and a larger dataset analysis are warranted.

Two patients with Wegener's granulomatosis and spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage are presented in whom four vessel angiograms were normal. The diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis should be considered in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and negative four vessel angiography. The presence of antibodies to a neutrophil cytoplasmic antigen may be of diagnostic value.

This review evaluates the research undertaken in the last six years on the use of new oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and provides evidence-based answers to common clinical questions. Two types of new oral anticoagulants - direct thrombin (IIa) inhibitors, and Xa inhibitors - are currently available. These drugs have similar pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. They are more predictable than, though in many respects comparable to, warfarin. They do not require frequent laboratory tests, nor do they have a narrow therapeutic window. When a patient requires surgery, new oral anticoagulants are easier to manage than warfarin due to their short half-lives. Short half-lives reduce the length of bleeding events. Information obtained from risk calculators such as CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED should be considered before prescribing. New oral anticoagulants are useful in every day clinical practice, but there are complex factors that should be considered in each patient before prescribing to implement the best practice and achieve the best results.

No abstract