Changes in the level of cardiac troponine and disorders in pulmonary gas exchange as predictors of short- and long-term outcomes of patients with aneurysm subarachnoid haemorrhage

Biomarkers of Neurological Outcome After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage as Early Predictors at Discharge from an Intensive Care Unit

Background

Subarachnoid bleeding is associated with brain injuries and ranges from almost negligible to acute and life threatening. The main objectives were to study changes in brain-specific biomarker levels in patients after an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) in relation to early clinical findings, severity scores, and intensive care unit (ICU) outcome. Analysis was done to identify specific biomarkers as predictors of a bad outcome in the acute treatment phase.

Methods

Analysis was performed for the proteins of neurofilament, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), and for the proteins of glial cells, S100B, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Outcomes were assessed at discharge from the ICU and analyzed based on the grade in the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Patients were classified into two groups: with a good outcome (Group 1: GOS IV–V, n = 24) and with a bad outcome (Group 2: GOS I–III, n = 31). Blood samples were taken upon admission to the ICU and afterward daily for up to 6 days.

Results

In Group 1, the level of S100B (1.0, 0.9, 0.7, 2.0, 1.0, 0.3 ng/mL) and NSE (1.5, 2.0, 1.6, 1.2, 16.6, 2.2 ng/mL) was significantly lower than in Group 2 (S100B: 4.7, 4.8, 4.4, 4.5, 6.6, 6.8 ng/mL; NSE: 4.0, 4.1, 4.3, 3.8, 4.4, 2.5 1.1 ng/mL) on day 1–6, respectively. MAPT was significantly lower only on the first and second day (83.2 ± 25.1, 132.7 ± 88.1 pg/mL in Group 1 vs. 625.0 ± 250.7, 616.4 ± 391.6 pg/mL in Group 2). GFAP was elevated in both groups from day 1 to 6. In the ROC analysis, S100B showed the highest ability to predict bad ICU outcome of the four biomarkers measured on admission [area under the curve (AUC) 0.81; 95% CI 0.67–0.94, p < 0.001]. NSE and MAPT also had significant predictive value (AUC 0.71; 95% CI 0.54–0.87, p = 0.01; AUC 0.74; 95% CI 0.55–0.92, p = 0.01, respectively). A strong negative correlation between the GOS and S100B and the GOS and NSE was recorded on days 1–5, and between the GOS and MAPT on day 1.

Conclusion

Our findings provide evidence that brain biomarkers such as S100B, NSE, GFAP, and MAPT increase significantly in patients following aSAH. There is a direct relationship between the neurological outcome in the acute treatment phase and the levels of S100B, NSE, and MAPT. The detection of brain-specific biomarkers in conjunction with clinical data may constitute a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool in the early phase of aSAH treatment.

Cardiac Troponin Elevation and Outcome in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Many cardiopulmonary complications occur after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. This is due to sympathetic nervous system activation which results in release of norepinephrine from myocardial sympathetic nerves. Cardiac troponin I is a marker for diagnosis of cardiac injury. Elevated levels of troponin in these patients are associated with worse clinical outcomes. PubMed was searched for literature using regular and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) keywords for data collection. Papers published in English language involving human subjects within the last 20 years focusing on cardiac troponin elevation following subarachnoid hemorrhage were included. Systemic complications that occur after subarachnoid hemorrhage worsen the clinical outcome of patients and have negative effects on the mortality and morbidity of these patients. Cardiac troponin I elevation is significantly associated with the severity of the stroke, poor neurological status, longer ICU stay, and death. Cardiac troponin I should be measured in patients presented with acute stroke. Hemodynamic monitoring and appropriate supportive care can improve clinical outcomes.

Baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability are predictors of mortality in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

OBJECT

We aimed to investigate the link between the autonomic nervous system (ANS) impairment, assessed using baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) indices, and mortality after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH).

METHODS

A total of 57 patients (56 ± 18 years) diagnosed with aSAH were retrospectively enrolled in the study, where 25% of patients died in the hospital. BRS was calculated using a modified cross-correlation method. Time- and frequency-domain HRV indices were calculated from a time-series of systolic peak intervals of arterial blood pressure signals. Additionally, cerebral autoregulation (CA) was assessed using the mean velocity index (Mxa), where Mxa > 0 indicates impaired CA.

RESULTS

Both BRS and HRV indices were lower in non-survivors than in survivors. The patients with disturbed BRS and HRV had more extensive haemorrhage in the H-H scale (p = .040) and were more likely to die (p = .013) when compared to patients with the intact ANS. The logistic regression model for mortality included: the APACHE II score (p = .002; OR 0.794) and the normalised high frequency power of the HRV (p < <.001; OR 0.636). A positive relationship was found between the Mxa and BRS (R = 0.48, p = .003), which suggests that increasing BRS is moderately strongly associated with worsening CA.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that lower values of HRV indices and BRS correlate with mortality and that there is a link between cerebral dysautoregulation and the analysed estimates of the ANS in aSAH patients.

Complete heart block as the presenting feature in subarachnoid haemorrhage

Cardiac manifestations of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) are well-documented phenomena that can complicate the treatment of this devastating condition. Here, we present a case of SAH presenting as complete heart block on initial assessment, an extremely rare event.A 53-year-old woman presented with a witnessed fall, sustaining a mild head injury. She denied any symptoms of SAH. Initial ECG revealed complete heart block, for which the patient was accepted under the cardiology team. For completion, a CT head scan was requested, this demonstrated significant SAH blood load in an aneurysmal rather than traumatic pattern. CT angiogram and subsequent digital subtraction angiography confirmed a posterior communicating artery aneurysm as the cause of the SAH. This case highlights the importance of considering neurological diagnoses in patients with collapse even with concomitant cardiac abnormalities, as the two are often inextricably linked.