Barbiturate coma for severe, refractory vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE
To document the outcome of patients treated with barbiturate coma for severe symptomatic angioplasty-resistant vasospasm. To compare mortality with that predicted by admission APACHE II score, and neurological outcome with that of historical controls treated with barbiturate coma for vasospasm, and with historical controls with delayed ischaemic deficits from vasospasm treated with nimodipine.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit of tertiary referral university teaching hospital.


METHODS
Eleven (6.7%) of 164 consecutive patients with aneurysmal SAH managed according to our protocol who were treated with thiopentone-induced burst suppression coma for severe symptomatic, angioplasty-resistant vasospasm.


METHODS
Chart, database and literature review.


RESULTS
All 11 patients survived to hospital discharge (mortality 0%) compared with first-day APACHE II predicted mortality of 30.6% (p=0.15). Outcome at 6 months was: good recovery 8/11 (72.7%), moderate disability 2/11 (18.2%), vegetative survival 1/11 (9.1%). Ten of 11 (90.9%) had a good neurological outcome compared with 50.6% of historical controls with delayed ischaemic deficit from vasospasm (odds ratio 9.78, 95% confidence interval 1.24-77.0, p=0.02), and 0% of previously reported patients treated with barbiturate coma for vasospasm (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results are better than previously published outcomes and suggest formal evaluation of barbiturate coma in the treatment of severe resistant symptomatic vasospasm following SAH is warranted.
Finfer
S R
SR
Intensive Therapy Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia. sfinfer@med.usyd.edu.au
Ferch
R
R
Morgan
M K
MK
D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002533:Cerebral Angiography; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives