Effects of admission glucose level on mortality after subarachnoid hemorrhage: a comparison between short-term and long-term mortality

Multimodal imaging of the role of hyperglycemia following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

Hyperglycemia has been linked to worsening outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of SAH have been scarcely evaluated so far. The role of hyperglycemia was assessed in an experimental model of SAH by T2 weighted, dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (T2W and DCE-MRI), [18F]BR-351 PET imaging and immunohistochemistry. Measures included the volume of bleeding, the extent of cerebral infarction and brain edema, blood brain barrier disruption (BBBd), neutrophil infiltration and matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activation. The neurofunctional outcome, neurodegeneration and myelinization were also investigated. The induction of hyperglycemia increased mortality, the size of the ischemic lesion, brain edema, neurodegeneration and worsened neurological outcome during the first 3 days after SAH in rats. In addition, these results show for the first time the exacerbating effect of hyperglycemia on in vivo MMP activation, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression and neutrophil infiltration together with increased BBBd, bleeding volume and fibrinogen accumulation at days 1 and 3 after SAH. Notably, these data provide valuable insight into the detrimental effect of hyperglycemia on early BBB damage mediated by neutrophil infiltration and MMP activation that could explain the worse prognosis in SAH.

2023 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

AIM

The "2023 Guideline for the Management of Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage" replaces the 2012 "Guidelines for the Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage." The 2023 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

METHODS

A comprehensive search for literature published since the 2012 guideline, derived from research principally involving human subjects, published in English, and indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline, was conducted between March 2022 and June 2022. In addition, the guideline writing group reviewed documents on related subject matter previously published by the American Heart Association. Newer studies published between July 2022 and November 2022 that affected recommendation content, Class of Recommendation, or Level of Evidence were included if appropriate. Structure: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a significant global public health threat and a severely morbid and often deadly condition. The 2023 aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to preventing, diagnosing, and managing patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' and their families' and caregivers' interests. Many recommendations from the previous aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data.

Biomarkers of Spinal Cord Injury in Patients Undergoing Complex Endovascular Aortic Repair Procedures-A Narrative Review of Current Literature

Complex endovascular aortic repair (coEVAR) of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) has greatly evolved in the past decades. Despite substantial improvements of postoperative care, spinal cord injury (SCI) remains the most devastating complication of coEVAR being associated with impaired patient outcome and having an impact on long-term survival. The rising number of challenges of coEVAR, essentially associated with an extensive coverage of critical blood vessels supplying the spinal cord, resulted in the implementation of dedicated SCI prevention protocols. In addition to maintenance of adequate spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP), early detection of SCI plays an integral role in intra- and postoperative patient care. However, this is challenging due to difficulties with clinical neurological examinations during patient sedation in the postoperative setting. There is a rising amount of evidence, suggesting that subclinical forms of SCI might be accompanied by an elevation of biochemical markers, specific to neuronal tissue damage. Addressing this hypothesis, several studies have attempted to assess the potential of selected biomarkers with regard to early SCI diagnosis. In this review, we discuss biomarkers measured in patients undergoing coEVAR. Once validated in future prospective clinical studies, biomarkers of neuronal tissue damage may potentially add to the armamentarium of modalities for early SCI diagnosis and risk stratification.

Association between hyperglycemia at admission and mortality in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Elevated blood glucose is frequently detected early after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We aimed to investigate whether hyperglycemia at admission is associated with mortality in patients with aSAH.

METHODS

In a multicenter observational study of patients with aSAH, we defined normal glycemia, mild hyperglycemia, moderate hyperglycemia, and severe hyperglycemia as blood glucose of 4.00-6.09 mmol/L, 6.10-7.80 mmol/L, 7.81-10.00 mmol/L, and > 10.00 mmol/L, respectively. We performed propensity score matching to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Of 6771 patients with aSAH, 511(7.5 %) had died in hospital, and hyperglycemia at admission was observed in 4804 (70.9 %). Propensity scores matching analyses indicated that compared with normal glycemia, the odds of in-hospital mortality were slightly lower in patients with mild hyperglycemia (OR 0.89, 95 % CI 0.56-1.40), significantly higher in patients with moderate hyperglycemia (OR 1.90, 95 % CI 1.20-3.01), and in patients with severe hyperglycemia (OR 3.45, 95 % CI 2.15-5.53; P trend < 0.001). Long-term survival was worse among patients with hyperglycemia and was proportional to its severity. Similar dose-response associations were evident for poor functional outcomes and major disability. Hyperglycemia was associated with an increased risk of hospital-acquired infections (OR 1.46, 95 % CI 1.29-1.66) and rebleeding (OR 1.58, 95 % CI 1.06-2.35).

CONCLUSIONS

Among aSAH patients, hyperglycemia at admission was independently associated with increased mortality. Both moderate hyperglycemia and severe hyperglycemia were associated with an increased risk of mortality, but these associations were not seen in mild hyperglycemia (blood glucose 6.10-7.80 mmol/L).

Association Between Glycemic Gap and In-hospital Outcomes in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Introduction: Glycemic gap (GG), as determined by the difference between glucose and the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-derived estimated average glucose (eAG), is associated with poor outcomes in various clinical settings. There is a paucity of data describing GG and outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Our main objectives were to evaluate the association of admission glycemic gap (aGG) with in-hospital mortality and with poor composite outcome and to compare aGG's predictive value to admission serum glucose. Secondary outcomes were the associations between aGG and neurologic complications including vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia following aSAH.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 119 adult patients with aSAH admitted to a single tertiary care neuroscience ICU. Spearman method was used for correlation for non-normality of data. Area under the curve (AUC) for Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate prediction accuracy of aGG and admission glucose on outcome measures. Multivariable analyses were conducted to assess the value of aGG in predicting in-hospital poor composite outcome and death.

Results: Elevated aGG at or above 30 mg/dL was identified in 79 (66.4%) of patients. Vasospasm was not associated with the elevated aGG. Admission GG correlated with admission serum glucose (r = 0.94, p < 0.01), lactate (r = 0.41, p < 0.01), procalcitonin (r = 0.38, p < 0.01), and Hunt and Hess score (r = 0.51, p < 0.01), but not with HbA1c (r = 0.02, p = 0.82). Compared to admission glucose, aGG had a statistically significantly improved accuracy in predicting inpatient mortality (AUC mean ± SEM: 0.77 ± 0.05 vs. 0.72 ± 0.06, p = 0.03) and trended toward statistically improved accuracy in predicting poor composite outcome (AUC: 0.69 ± 0.05 vs. 0.66 ± 0.05, p = 0.07). When controlling for aSAH severity, aGG was not independently associated with delayed cerebral ischemia, poor composite outcome, and in-hospital mortality.

Conclusion: Admission GG was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality or poor outcome in a population of aSAH. An aGG ≥30 mg/dL was common in our population, and further study is needed to fully understand the clinical importance of this biomarker.

Admission Hyperglycemia Predicts Long-Term Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Analysis of the MIMIC-III Database

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe subtype of stroke with high mortality. Hyperglycemia is a common phenomenon in critically ill patients and associated with poor clinical outcome. However, the predictive value of admission hyperglycemia for 30 and 90-day all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with SAH remains controversial. All SAH patients between 2001 and 2012 were included based on the MIMIC-III database and were further classified according to the tertiles of blood glucose (BG) measured on intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Clinical information including demographic data, comorbidities, and laboratory indicators were exacted and analyzed. The primary outcomes were 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality. A total of 1,298 SAH patients were included. The 30 and 90-day mortality rates were 19.80% and 22.73%, respectively. Subjects in the high glucose tertile were older, were overweight, had higher sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) scores, and presented higher mortality rate. Generalized additive model revealed a U-shaped relationship between BG and 30 and 90-day all-cause mortality. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve also illustrated that subjects with admission hyperglycemia presented lower survival rate and shorter survival time. In Cox analysis, after adjustment for potential confounders, admission hyperglycemia was related to an increase in 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality in SAH patients. In subgroup analysis, the association between admission hyperglycemia and all-cause mortality was consistent. In conclusion, admission hyperglycemia is associated with significantly increased 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with SAH.

Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Despite advancements in treating ruptured cerebral aneurysms, an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is still a grave cerebrovascular disease associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Based on the literature published to date, worldwide academic and governmental committees have developed clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to propose standards for disease management in order to achieve the best treatment outcomes for aSAHs. In 2013, the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgeons issued a Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs. The group researched all articles and major foreign CPGs published in English until December 2015 using several search engines. Based on these articles, levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were determined by our society as well as by other related Quality Control Committees from neurointervention, neurology and rehabilitation medicine. The Korean version of the CPGs for aSAHs includes risk factors, diagnosis, initial management, medical and surgical management to prevent rebleeding, management of delayed cerebral ischemia and vasospasm, treatment of hydrocephalus, treatment of medical complications and early rehabilitation. The CPGs are not the absolute standard but are the present reference as the evidence is still incomplete, each environment of clinical practice is different, and there is a high probability of variation in the current recommendations. The CPGs will be useful in the fields of clinical practice and research.

Early variations of laboratory parameters predicting shunt-dependent hydrocephalus after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Background and purpose

Hydrocephalus is a frequent complication following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Few studies investigated the association between laboratory parameters and shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. This study aimed to investigate the variations of laboratory parameters after subarachnoid hemorrhage. We also attempted to identify predictive laboratory parameters for shunt-dependent hydrocephalus.

Methods

Multiple imputation was performed to fill the missing laboratory data using Bayesian methods in SPSS. We used univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to calculate hazard ratios for shunt-dependent hydrocephalus based on clinical and laboratory factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the laboratory risk values predicting shunt-dependent hydrocephalus.

Results

We included 181 participants with a mean age of 54.4 years. Higher sodium (hazard ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.13–2.07; p = 0.005), lower potassium, and higher glucose levels were associated with higher shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the areas under the curve of sodium, potassium, and glucose were 0.649 (cutoff value, 142.75 mEq/L), 0.609 (cutoff value, 3.04 mmol/L), and 0.664 (cutoff value, 140.51 mg/dL), respectively.

Conclusions

Despite the exploratory nature of this study, we found that higher sodium, lower potassium, and higher glucose levels were predictive values for shunt-dependent hydrocephalus from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD 12–16 after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Strict correction of electrolyte imbalance seems necessary to reduce shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. Further large studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

European Stroke Organisation (ESO) guidelines on glycaemia management in acute stroke

Background

Hyperglycaemia is a frequent complication in acute stroke that has been shown to be independently associated with larger infarct size, haematoma growth, poor clinical outcome and mortality. This Guideline Document presents the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Guidelines for the management of blood glucose levels in patients with acute ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke.

Methods

The working group identified related questions and developed its recommendations based on evidence from randomised controlled trials following the standard operating procedure of the ESO. This Guideline Document was reviewed and approved by the European Stroke Organisation Guidelines Committee and the European Stroke Organisation Executive Committee.

Results

We found low-quality evidence from clinical trials in ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke exploring the use of intravenous insulin aimed to achieve a tight glycaemic control with different glucose level targets and several other sources of heterogeneity. None of these trials neither the meta-analysis of them have demonstrated any significant benefit of tight glycaemic control with intravenous insulin in acute ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke patients on functional outcome or in survival and they have shown an increased risk for hypoglycaemia.

Conclusions

We suggest against the routine use of tight glycaemic control with intravenous insulin as a means to improve outcomes. The currently available data about the management of glycaemia in patients with acute stroke are limited and the strengths of the recommendations are therefore weak. Nevertheless, this does not prevent that hyperglycaemia in acute stroke patients could be treated as any other hospitalised patient.

Hyperglycemia and Mortality Risk in Patients with Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Meta-Analysis

Hyperglycemia may be associated with worse functional outcomes in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between hyperglycemia and mortality risk in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. We searched PubMed and Embase databases for studies investigating the association between hyperglycemia and mortality risk in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. We estimated the pooled relative risk (RR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to assess the impact of hyperglycemia on mortality risk. Seventeen studies with a total of 6527 primary intracerebral hemorrhage patients were included. Meta-analysis of those studies showed that hyperglycemia significantly increased risk of mortality in patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (RR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.79-3.12). Subgroup analysis by time of follow-up showed that hyperglycemia significantly increased risk of short-term mortality (RR = 3.97, 95% CI 2.13-7.43) and long-term mortality (RR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.14-2.05). The RR of mortality for per 1-mmol/L increment in glucose level was 1.14 (95% CI 1.06-1.22). In patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage, hyperglycemia significantly increases risk of both short-term mortality and long-term mortality.

Intracranial hemorrhage

Intracranial hemorrhage refers to any bleeding within the intracranial vault, including the brain parenchyma and surrounding meningeal spaces. This article focuses on the acute diagnosis and management of primary nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage in the emergency department.

Optimal glycemic control in neurocritical care patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Hyper- and hypoglycemia are strongly associated with adverse outcomes in critical care. Neurologically injured patients are a unique subgroup, where optimal glycemic targets may differ, such that the findings of clinical trials involving heterogeneous critically ill patients may not apply.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing intensive insulin therapy with conventional glycemic control among patients with traumatic brain injury, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, anoxic encephalopathy, central nervous system infections or spinal cord injury.

RESULTS

Sixteen RCTs, involving 1248 neurocritical care patients, were included. Glycemic targets with intensive insulin ranged from 70-140 mg/dl (3.9-7.8 mmol/L), while conventional protocols aimed to keep glucose levels below 144-300 mg/dl (8.0-16.7 mmol/L). Tight glycemic control had no impact on mortality (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.83-1.17; p = 0.88), but did result in fewer unfavorable neurological outcomes (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.84-1.00; p = 0.04). However, improved outcomes were only observed when glucose levels in the conventional glycemic control group were permitted to be relatively high [threshold for insulin administration > 200 mg/dl (> 11.1 mmol/L)], but not with more intermediate glycemic targets [threshold for insulin administration 140-180 mg/dl (7.8-10.0 mmol/L)]. Hypoglycemia was far more common with intensive therapy (RR 3.10; 95% CI 1.54-6.23; p = 0.002), but there was a large degree of heterogeneity in the results of individual trials (Q = 47.9; p<0.0001; I2 = 75%). Mortality was non-significantly higher with intensive insulin in studies where the proportion of patients developing hypoglycemia was large (> 33%) (RR 1.17; 95% CI 0.79-1.75; p = 0.44).

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive insulin therapy significantly increases the risk of hypoglycemia and does not influence mortality among neurocritical care patients. Very loose glucose control is associated with worse neurological recovery and should be avoided. These results suggest that intermediate glycemic goals may be most appropriate.

Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage and glucose management

Although metabolic abnormalities have been linked with poor outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage, there are limited data addressing the impact of glycemic control or benefits of glucose management after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A systematic literature search was conducted of English-language articles describing original research on glycemic control in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Case reports and case series were excluded. A total of 22 publications were selected for this review. Among the 17 studies investigating glucose as an outcome predictor, glucose levels during hospitalization were more likely to predict outcome than admission glucose. In general, hyperglycemia was linked to worse outcome. While insulin therapy in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients was shown to effectively control plasma glucose levels, plasma glucose control was not necessarily reflective of cerebral glucose such that very tight glucose control may lead to neuroglycopenia. Furthermore, tight glycemic control was associated with an increased risk for hypoglycemia which was linked to worse outcome.

Medical complications after subarachnoid hemorrhage

The prevention and management of medical complications are important for improving outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Fever, anemia requiring transfusion, hyperglycemia, hyponatremia, pneumonia, hypertension, and neurogenic cardiopulmonary dysfunction occur frequently after SAH. There is increasing evidence that acute hypoxia and extremes of blood pressure can exacerbate brain injury during the acute phase of bleeding. There are promising strategies to minimize these complications. Randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of these and other medical management strategies after SAH.