Fever Burden in Patients With Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and the Increased Use of Antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: Fever occurs in the majority of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. Nearly 50% of SAH patients have noninfectious fevers. Data are lacking describing the effects of fever burden in the SAH patient population. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective observational cohort study in patients more or equal to 18 years of age with a diagnosis of nontraumatic SAH admitted to an ICU between January 1, 2010 and September 1, 2015. Exclusion criteria were SAH secondary to trauma or admission for more than 48 hours. Temperature measurements, demographic data, and other pertinent information were collected from Day 0 to Day 13. Daily fever burden was calculated for each patient by calculating an area under the curve. RESULTS: A total of 194 subjects were included. The mean study period maximum temperature (Tmax) for all 194 patients was 40.8 ± 0.83°C. The mean overall fever burden for all 194 patients was 89.2 ± 99.59°C h more than 37°C. The overall fever burden peaked on day 5 and declined thereafter. Fever burden, Tmax, and length of stay in the hospital were all significantly associated with receipt of antibiotics. Only Tmax was associated with poor outcome. The 31 patients who had fever but no identified cause of infection received 1000 doses of antibiotics or 32.25 doses per patient. CONCLUSION: Fever is common in SAH patients and is associated with antibiotic use, infection, vasospasm, and poor outcome. Some SAH patients may receive antibiotics unnecessarily for noninfectious fever. Clinicians should consider using site-specific parameters related to infection rather than systemic symptoms such as fever to evaluate infection in SAH patients.

Peripheral nerve grafts implanted into the substantia nigra in patients with Parkinson's disease during deep brain stimulation surgery: 1-year follow-up study of safety, feasibility, and clinical outcome.

OBJECTIVECurrently, there is no treatment that slows or halts the progression of Parkinson's disease. Delivery of various neurotrophic factors to restore dopaminergic function has become a focus of study in an effort to fill this unmet need for patients with Parkinson's disease. Schwann cells provide a readily available source of such factors. This study presents a 12-month evaluation of safety and feasibility, as well as the clinical response, of implanting autologous peripheral nerve grafts into the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease at the time of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery.METHODSStandard DBS surgery targeting the subthalamic nucleus was performed in 8 study participants. After DBS lead implantation, a section of the sural nerve containing Schwann cells was harvested and unilaterally grafted to the substantia nigra. Adverse events were continually monitored. Baseline clinical data were obtained during standard preoperative evaluations. Clinical outcome data were obtained with postoperative clinical evaluations, neuropsychological testing, and MRI at 1 year after surgery.RESULTSAll 8 participants were implanted with DBS systems and grafts. Adverse event profiles were comparable to those of standard DBS surgery with the exception of 1 superficial infection at the sural nerve harvest site. Three participants also reported numbness in the distribution of the sural nerve distal to the harvest site. Motor scores on Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III while the participant was off therapy at 12 months improved from baseline (mean ± SD 25.1 ± 15.9 points at 12 months vs 32.5 ± 9.7 points at baseline). An analysis of the lateralized UPDRS scores also showed a greater overall reduction in scores on the side contralateral to the graft.CONCLUSIONSPeripheral nerve graft delivery to the substantia nigra at the time of DBS surgery is feasible and safe based on the results of this initial pilot study. Clinical outcome data from this phase I trial suggests that grafting may have some clinical benefit and certainly warrants further study to determine if this is an efficacious and neurorestorative therapy.Clinical trial registration no.: NCT01833364 (clinicaltrials.gov).