Editorial and Guest Editorial

Vicki Evans/ Dr Mark Dexter

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-113

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Best Practice for CSF Sampling of an EVD to Minimise Patient Risk

Ruby Crane/ Nicole King

Managing raised intracranial pressure (ICP) with the use of an external ventricular drain (EVD) is a common occurrence in a neurosurgical setting. A central role of the neuroscience nurse in managing that EVD is to monitor the patient for signs and symptoms of infection otherwise known as ventriculitis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling from an EVD has historically been completed as a daily routine specimen to monitor for any signs of infection. However, in more recent times there has been evid(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-114

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Adapting to Consequences

Nutthita Petchprapai

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects more than 28,000 individuals annually in Thailand; however, little information about outcome after mTBI is known. This investigation aimed to explore consequences of mTBI among Thai adults who experienced mTBI in the previous 3-12 months. A sample of 135 adults was interviewed. Subjects were typically men, middle aged and approximately half were married. All completed the compulsory level of education in Thailand and were in the low income bracket. Subj(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-115

Enquiry into Practice: Management of Terminal Catastrophic Intracranial Haemorrhage in Palliative Care.

Anna Smith

The management of terminal catastrophic haemorrhage is a rare clinical palliative emergency for which the management is based largely on anecdotal and experiential guidelines, with no high grade evidence but rather robust contention and controversy. Whilst often rapid and deadly, inevitably dramatic and devastating for the treating health professionals and family, the key management areas include risk identification, supportive practices, the use of sedative medication and the ethical issues fac(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-116

A Neurological Integrated Care Pathway

Kathleen McCoy/ Harriet Chan

Objective: To assess the feasibility of service integration for neurological care. Design: Observation study Participants: A total of 104 admissions for 92 neurological patients treated in a major region hospital and suitable for discharge home were eligible for participation. Intervention: A neurological integrated care pathway (NICP) was trialled at a major regional hospital between July 2012 and June 2013. Objective data included patients, gender, age, diagnosis, length of hospital stay, refe(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-117

Timely Anticoagulant Thromboprophylaxis is Safe and Effective in the Care of Patients Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury.

Kandace Micallef

Despite the high prevalence and associated morbidity of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) development, thromboprophylaxis in the neurosurgical setting remains a source of contention due to concerns of iatrogenic haemorrhage progression associated with anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis. Opinions of ideal time to initiate chemical prophylaxis for VTE within the neurosurgical community vary between clinicians. It is nevertheless rarely disputed that timely and appropriate prophylaxis of VTE reduces morbi(..)

DOI: 10.21307/ajon-2017-118