Neuro-oncology practice guidelines from a high-volume surgeon at the COVID-19 epicenter

BackgroundDuring the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, physicians have begun adapting their daily practices to prevent transmissions. In this study we aimed to provide surgical neuro-oncologists with practice guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic based on objective data from a high-volume brain tumor surgeon at the current COVID-19 epicenter.MethodsAll outpatient visits and surgeries performed by the senior author during the COVID-19 pandemic were compared between the initial quarantine (3/23/20–5/4/20), the plateau period following quarantine (5/5/20–6/27/20), and the second peak (6/28/20–7/20/20). In-person and telemedicine visits were evaluated for crossovers. Surgeries were subdivided based on lesion type and evaluated across the same time period.ResultsFrom 3/23/20–7/20/20, 469 clinic visits and 196 surgeries were identified. After quarantine was lifted, face-to-face visits increased (P < 0.01) yet no change in telehealth visits occurred. Of 327 telehealth visits, only 5.8% converted to in-person during the 4-month period with the most cited reason being patient preference (68.4%). Of the 196 surgeries performed during the pandemic, 29.1% occurred during quarantine, 49.0% during the plateau, and 21.9% occurred in the second peak. No COVID negative patients developed symptoms at follow-up. 55.6% were performed on malignant tumors and 31.6% were benign with no difference in case volumes throughout the pandemic.ConclusionsDespite exceptional challenges, we have maintained a high-volume surgical neuro-oncology practice at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide the protocols implemented at our institution in order to maximize neuro-oncology care while mitigating risk of COVID-19 exposure to both patients and providers.     

神经外科介入治疗病人院内感染情况调查及危险因素分析

目的 了解我院神经外科介入治疗病人的院内感染现况，分析感染相关的危险因素，为控制神经介入治疗后院内感染与制定预防措施提供参考。方法 回顾性分析2016年1~12月我院神经外科介入治疗的1274例病人的临床资料，统计院内感染率，并对引发院内感染的相关因素进行统计学分析。结果 神经外科介入治疗后院内感染率为2.47%，感染类型主要为呼吸系统感染（72.5%），其次为血液系统感染（15.0%）、泌尿系统感染（7.5%）、中枢神经系统感染（5.0%）。多因素logistic回归分析显示低白蛋白血症、低钾血症、术后输血、留置静脉置管是神经外科介入治疗后院内感染的独立危险因素（P<0.05）。结论 多种因素与神经外科介入治疗院内感染密切相关，应进行针对性地预防，从而达到减少院内感染的目的     

新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情下神经外科实施急诊手术的思考与建议

目前新型冠状病毒肺炎(Corona Virus Disease 2019,COVID-19)疫情严重。作为一个新发传染性强的呼吸道感染疾病,控制传染源、切断传播途径、保护易感人群是战"疫"要遵从的三大原则。在此疫情之下,神经外科医生应掌握COVID-19的临床表现和流行病学特点,尤其是针对COVID-19合并神经外科急诊患者,避免误诊漏诊,是当前的重中之重。为疑似或确诊的COVID-19患者实施急诊神经外科手术时,必须严格遵照卫生行政主管部门或所在医疗机构的相关防护规定,密切协调手术各方,所有人员均应做好三级防护,手术必须在负压手术间进行。对于不具备上述医疗条件的单位,宜尽快将需要急诊手术的COVID-19患者转诊至有条件的医疗单位。     

Application of intraoperative ultrasound in neurosurgery for hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical significance of intraoperative ultrasound in neurosurgery for hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).MethodsPatients with hypertensive ICH who required to undergo surgical treatment were assigned into treatment group (126 cases), who were assisted by intraoperative ultrasound, and control group (122 cases), who were not assisted by intraoperative ultrasound. In the treatment group, intraoperative ultrasound was used for real-time positioning after opening the bone flap, so as to guide the surgery. After surgery, conventional treatment and follow-up were conducted, and the statistical analysis was eventually performed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of the two groups.ResultsThe mean rate of hematoma clearance was (95.20 ± 5.18)% in the treatment group and (86.20 ± 4.85)% in the control group (P<0.05); the average time required for intraoperative hematoma clearance was 44.5±3.2 min in the treatment group and 66.3±5.1 min in the control group (P < 0.05). Finally, the treatment group was superior to the control group in terms of therapeutic efficacy and overall prognosis (P = 0.03 and 0.025, respectively).ConclusionsIntraoperative ultrasound possessed the features of precise positioning, real-time guidance, and being user-friendly, which can shorten the operation time, increase the efficacy of surgery, and improve patients’ overall prognosis, highlighting high clinical significance of intraoperative ultrasound in neurosurgery.     

Circuitos postoperatorios en los pacientes sometidos a craneotomía programada. Revisión narrativa

In 2017, the Neurosciences section of the Spanish Society of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Therapy published a national survey on postoperative care and treatment circuits in neurosurgery. The survey showed that practices vary widely, depending on the centre, the anaesthesiologist and the pathology of the patient. There is currently no standard postoperative circuit for cranial neurosurgical procedures in Spanish hospitals, and there is sufficient evidence to show that not all patients undergoing elective craniotomy should be routinely admitted to a postsurgical critical care unit. The aim of this study is to perform a narrative review of postoperative circuits in elective craniotomy in order to standardise clinical practice in the light of published studies. For this purpose, we searched MEDLINE (PubMed) to retrieve studies published in the last ten years, up to November 2019, using the keywords neurosurgery and postoperative care, craniotomy and postoperative care.