Insertion of intracranial pressure monitors in fulminant hepatic failure patients: early experience using recombinant factor VII.
BACKGROUND
Cerebral edema contributes to the high morbidity and mortality of fulminant hepatic failure (FHF).


OBJECTIVE
We report the results of our early experience with insertion of intraparenchymal intracranial pressure (ICP) monitors in these highly coagulopathic patients.


METHODS
Eleven consecutive patients with FHF met the criteria for invasive ICP monitoring. Recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was administered at an average dose of 3 mg intravenous bolus (average, 36.7 microg/kg). We inserted the intraparenchymal ICP monitor within 15 minutes to 2 hours after rFVIIa administration, without waiting for the repeat coagulation results. Postprocedure computed tomographic scans of the brain were obtained in all patients.


RESULTS
No hemorrhagic complications were detected on the immediate postprocedure computed tomographic scans. There were no thrombotic complications in this group of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
In this group of patients with FHF, placement of an ICP monitor without hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications was feasible after administration of rFVIIa. This is a report of our early experience, and caution is advised. Further collaborative randomized studies are needed to prove the efficacy, optimal dosing, and cost effectiveness of rFVIIa for the placement of ICP monitors in this group of patients.
Le
Tien V
TV
Department of Neurological Surgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33606, USA.
Rumbak
Mark J
MJ
Liu
Shih Sing
SS
Alsina
Angel E
AE
van Loveren
Harry
H
Agazzi
Siviero
S
D000328:Adult; D015942:Factor VIIa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006490:Hemostatics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed
D006490:Hemostatics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C103587:recombinant FVIIa; D015942:Factor VIIa