Resuscitation from haemorrhagic shock and the subsequent circulatory arrest remains a major clinical challenge in the care of trauma patients. Numerous experimental studies in sexually mature animals have shown a gender dimorphism in response to trauma and haemorrhagic shock. The first study was designed to evaluate sex differences in outcome after resuscitation from hypovolemic circulatory arrest. We intended to examine innate sex differences, and chose to study sexually immature animals. The study showed that cerebral cortical blood flow was greater, blood-brain-barrier was better preserved and neuronal injury was smaller in female as compared to male piglets. The second study demonstrated that female sex was associated with enhanced haemodynamic response, cardioprotection, and better survival. This cardioprotective effect was observed despite comparable estradiol and testosterone levels in male and female animals, indicating an innate gender-related cardioprotection. In both studies (I and II) female sex was associated with a smaller increase in the cerebral expression of inducible and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and nNOS). Thus in the study III we tested the hypothesis that exogenously administered 17β-estradiol (E2) could improve neurological outcome by NOS modulation. The results showed that compared with the control group, animals in the E2 group exhibited a significantly smaller increase in nNOS and iNOS expression, a smaller blood-brain-barrier disruption and a mitigated neuronal injury. There was also a significant correlation between nNOS and iNOS levels and neuronal injury. A hypothesis if female-specific cardioprotection may be attributed to a smaller NOS activity was tested in study IV. The animals received methylene blue (MB) during CPR, but were otherwise treated according to the same protocol as studies I-II. The female-specific cardioprotection could be attributed to a smaller NOS activity, but NOS inhibition with MB did not improve survival or myocardial injury, although it abated the difference between the sexes.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2014-05-20T17:14:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Adenizar Delgado das Chagas Jr. Avanços... 2014..pdf: 11153892 bytes, checksum: 48154dea65a7a4a32a54408e694c5d30 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-20T17:14:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adenizar Delgado das Chagas Jr. Avanços... 2014..pdf: 11153892 bytes, checksum: 48154dea65a7a4a32a54408e694c5d30 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / A leptospirose é uma zoonose causada por espiroquetas patogênicas pertencentes ao gênero Leptospira. O modelo da doença em camundongos tem vantagens devido à ampla gama de ferramentas genéticas e imunológicas disponíveis para pesquisas básicas. A maior limitação na conduta clínica e na pesquisa experimental da leptospirose é o fraco desempenho dos métodos disponíveis para detecção direta e para quantificação de leptospiras. Foi incluído nesta tese um conjunto de três manuscritos que visam investigar o desfecho da infecção pela cepa virulenta de Leptospira interrogans nas linhagens de camundongos selvagens (A, CBA, BALB/c e C57BL/6), em camundongos óxido nítrico sintase induzível (iNOS) Knockout (KO), camundongos gene ativador de recombinação 1 (RAG1) KO , camundongos CB17 com imunodeficiência combinada grave (SCID), e os seus respectivos controles selvagens C57BL/6 e BALB/c. Investigar a confiabilidade do método de quantificação do imprint (IM), comparando os resultados obtidos com esta técnica aos obtidos com a utilização do PCR em tempo real (qPCR) para detectar e quantificar leptospiras em amostras de rim de ratos e hamsters experimentalmente infectados. Como esperado, nenhuma das linhagens de camundongos selvagens foram suscetíveis à leptospirose letal. A linhagem A e C57BL/6 exibiram altas cargas de Leptospira nas amostras de rim e as linhagens CBA e C57BL/6 desenvolveram lesões inflamatórias graves, enquanto a linhagem BALB/c provou ser a mais resistente apresentando leptospirose subclínica. Os camundongos iNOS KO e selvagem sobreviveram sem sintomas clínicos de leptospirose. A frequência e gravidade das nefrites foram significantemente menores nos camundongos iNOS KO. Todos os animais RAG1 KO e SCID morreram de leptospirose aguda, enquanto que todos os camundongos selvagens sobreviveram. A hemorragia pulmonar foi observada em 57 e 94% dos camundongos RAG 1 KO e em 83 e 100% dos camundongos SCID, usando doses de inóculos de 107 e 106 leptospiras, respectivamente. Não houve evidências de hemorragia pulmonar nos controles selvagens. Nos modelos de infecção agudo e crônico, houve correlação positiva estatisticamente significante (P < 0,05) na quantificação de leptospiras pelos métodos do qPCR e do IM. Como conclusão geral, a linhagem de camundongos A pode ser a linhagem de escolha em estudos na qual se pretende recuperar um grande número de leptospiras de rins colonizados. As linhagens CBA e C57BL/6 desenvolveram, com maior frequência, lesões inflamatórias e podem ser as mais adequadas para estudos de leptospirose associados com nefrite intersticial. A linhagem BALB/c é a mais indicada para estudar mecanismos que envolvam a imunidade inata e/ou a rápida resposta imune adaptativa. A ausência do gene do iNOS no modelo murino resultou em uma diminuição significativa da suscetibilidade para o desenvolvimento da nefrite intersticial. Além disso, a ausência de linfócitos B e T funcionais não impediu a ocorrência de hemorragia pulmonar. Estes dados fornecem fortes evidências de que a hemorragia pulmonar na leptospirose não está relacionada apenas a mecanismos autoimunes. Para a detecção e quantificação de leptospiras o método do imprint foi equivalente ao qPCR. / Leptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by pathogenic spirochaetes belonging to the genus Leptospira. The mouse disease model is advantagous due to the broad array of immunological and genetic tools available for basic research. A major limitation in the clinical management and experimental research of leptospirosis is the poor performance of the available methods in the direct detection and quantification of leptospires. This thesis includes three manuscripts that investigate the outcome of infection by a virulent strain of Leptospira interrogans in wildtype mice strains: A, CBA, BALB/c and C57BL/6; in iNOS knockout (KO) mice, recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) KO mice and CB17 severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. To investigate whether the imprint method (IM) of quantification was reliable we compared it with against real time PCR (qPCR) for the detection and quantification of leptospires in kidney samples from rats and hamsters. As expected, none of the wildtype mice were susceptible to lethal leptospirosis. The A and C57BL/6 strains exhibited high leptospiral loads in the kidney samples and the CBA and C57BL/6 strains developed severe inflammatory lesions, whilst the BALB/c strain proved to be the most resistant to subclinical leptospirosis. The iNOS KO mice survived with no clinical symptoms of leptospirosis. The frequency and severity of nephritis was significantly lower in the iNOS KO mice. All of the RAG 1 KO and SCID animals died of acute leptospirosis, whereas all of the wildtype mice survived. Pulmonary haemorrhage was observed in 57 and 94% of Rag1 KO mice and in 83 and 100% of SCID mice, using inoculum doses of 107 and 106 leptospires, respectively. There was no evidence of pulmonary haemorrhage in the wildtype controls. In both the acute and chronic infection models, the correlation between quantification by qPCR and the IM was found to be positive and statistically significant (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the mouse A strain would be the strain of choice in studies requiring the recovery of a large number of leptospires from colonized kidneys. The CBA and C57BL/6 strains developed more inflammatory lesions and would be the most suitable for studies of leptospirosis associated with interstitial nephritis. The BALB/c strain appeared to be the most suitable for studying mechanisms involving innate immunity and/or rapid adaptive immune response. The absence of the iNOS gene in the murine model resulted in a significant decrease in susceptibility to the development of interstitial nephritis. Furthermore, the absence of functional B and T lymphocytes did not prevent the occurrence of pulmonary hemorrhage. These data provide strong evidence that pulmonary hemorrhage in leptospirosis is not only related to autoimmune mechanisms. For the detection and quantification of leptospires the imprint method was quivalent to that of qPCR. Keywords:

Background: Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a severe stroke that in 85% of all cases is caused by the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. The median age at onset is 50-55 years and the overall mortality is approximately 45%.Sufficient cortisol levels are important for survival. After SAH hypothalamic/pituitary blood flow may be hampered this could result in inadequate secretion of cortisol. SAH is also associated with a substantial inflammatory response. Asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, mediates vasoconstriction and increased ADMA levels may be involved in inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring can be used to detect non-convulsive seizures, leading to ischemic insults in sedated SAH patients. Elevated ADMA levels are risk factors for vascular diseases. Vascular disease has been linked to stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. SAH possesses all those clinical features and theoretically SAH could thus induce vascular disease. Aims: 1. Assess cortisol levels after SAH, and evaluate associations between cortisol and clinical parameters. 2. Assess ADMA levels and arginine/ADMA ratios after SAH and evaluate associations between ADMA levels and arginine/ADMA ratios with severity of disease, co-morbidities, sex, age and clinical parameters. 3. Investigate occurrence of subclinical seizures in sedated SAH patients. 4. Evaluate if patients that survive a SAH ≥ one year have an increased risk of vascular causes of death compared to a normal population. Results: Continuous infusion of sedative drugs was the strongest predictor for a low (&lt;200 nmol/L) serum cortisol. The odds ratio for a sedated patient to have a serum cortisol &lt; 200 nmol/L was 18.0 times higher compared to an un-sedated patient (p &lt; 0.001). Compared to admission values, 0-48 hours after SAH, CRP increased significantly already in the time-interval 49-72 hours (p&lt;0.05), peaked in the time-interval 97-120 hours after SAH and thereafter decreased. ADMA started to increase in the time-interval 97-120 hours (p&lt;0.05). ADMA and CRP levels were significantly higher, and arginine/ADMA ratios were significantly lower in patients with a more severe condition (p&lt;0.05). Epileptic seizure activity, in sedated SAH patients, was recorded in 2/28 (7.1%) patients during 5/5468 (0.09%) hours of continuous EEG monitoring. Cerebrovascular disease was significantly more common as a cause of death in patients that had survived a SAH ≥ one year, compared to the population from the same area (p&lt;0.0001). Conclusions: Continuous infusion of sedative drugs was associated with low (&lt;200 nmol/L) cortisol levels. ADMA increased significantly after SAH, after CRP had peaked, indicating that endothelial dysfunction, with ADMA as a marker, is induced by a systemic inflammation. Patients with a more severe condition had significantly higher ADMA and CRP levels, and significantly lower arginine/ADMA ratio. Continuous sedation in sedated SAH patients seems to be beneficial in protecting from subclinical seizures. Cerebrovascular causes of death are more common in SAH survivors. / <p>Funding: The Swedish Society of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine at Umeå University, The Kempe Foundations and The Stroke Foundation of Northern Sweden supported this study financially.</p>

Le rôle du fibrinogène dans les coagulopathies par hémorragie a fait récemment l'objet de travaux importants, la plupart hors du champ obstétrical. L'adaptation de la coagulation et du fibrinogène au cours de la grossesse est méconnue même si sa mise en jeu paraît indispensable à l'hémostase utérine lors de la délivrance. Nous avons donc étudié les modifications gestationnelles du fibrinogène et analysé leurs impacts sur la coagulation et l'hémorragie de la délivrance (HDD). Nous avons montré que le fibrinogène augmentait progressivement pendant la grossesse pour atteindre [3,5-6,5 g/L] (5ème-95ème p.) au 3ème trimestre. L'étude en thromboélastométrie (TEM) a révélé une élévation progressive du "potentiel coagulant" et de la fermeté du caillot chez la femme enceinte. Nous avons ensuite analysé le lien entre le taux initial de fibrinogène lors d'une HDD et le risque d'aggravation (Etude PITHAGORE 6). Le taux de fibrinogène était le meilleur marqueur du risque d'évolution grave. Des seuils de fibrinogène inférieurs à 2 et 3 g/L étaient associés à un risque accru d'aggravation par rapport aux femmes avec un taux > 3 g/L (respectivement OR=11,99 ; IC95% [2,56-56,06] et OR=1.90; IC95% [1,16-3,09]. Enfin l'étude en TEM a montré que les paramètres précoces CA5- et CA15-FIBTEM étaient étroitement corrélés aux taux de fibrinogène lors des HDD permettant l'optimisation du monitorage de la coagulation. Nos résultats nous conduisent à proposer deux scores de coagulopathie obstétricale prenant en compte les spécificités de la grossesse. Des essais seront nécessaires pour valider la pertinence de ces scores et pour évaluer le bénéfice de la compensation précoce en fibrinogène dans les HDD / The role of fibrinogen in haemorrhage-induced coagulopathies has recently been the subject of important work, most of it outside the field of obstetrics. The changes in coagulation and fibrinogen during pregnancy are poorly understood, even though its involvement is essential for uterine haemostasis during the afterbirth. We thus studied the course of fibrinogen levels during pregnancy and analysed their effects on coagulation and postpartum (third-stage) haemorrhage (PPH). We showed that fibrinogen increases progressively during pregnancy, reaching [3.5-6.5 g/L] (5th-95th p.) during the 3rd trimester. The thromboelastometry (TEM) study revealed a progressive increase in the coagulant potential and firmness of clots in pregnant women. We then analysed the association between the initial fibrinogen level during PPH and the risk of aggravation (in the PITHAGORE 6 study). A woman's fibrinogen level was the best marker of the risk that her condition would worsen. Thresholds below 2 and 3 g/L were associated with higher risks of aggravation than in women with fibrinogen concentrations >3g/L (respectively OR=11.99 ; 95% CI [2.56-56.06] and OR=1.90; 95% CI [1.16-3.09]. Finally the TEM study showed that FIBTEM assessment of the early indicators, clot amplitude at 5 and 15 minutes (CA5 and CA15), was closely correlated with fibrinogen levels during PPH and thus helped to optimise coagulation monitoring. Our results lead us to suggest two obstetric coagulopathy scores that take the specificities of pregnancy into account. Trials will be necessary to validate their relevance and to assess the benefits of early fibrinogen replacement in PPH

Thesis (MMED. (Forensic Medicine)) --University of Limpopo, 2019 / Traumatic intracranial haemorrhages are common, carry a high mortality rate and are therefore commonly known in the practice of forensic pathology as unnatural deaths. Studies have demonstrated a significant decrease in mortality rate among patients who received surgical interventions compared to patients who were treated medically. Missed or mis-diagnoses, which may be apparent during an autopsy procedure, present possible missed treatment opportunities. Aim/objective and methods The study investigated the discrepancy rate and discrepancy pattern of diagnosis between antemortem brain computed tomography (CT) scan findings and autopsy findings in deceased patients with traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (TIH). A quantitative retrospective descriptive study was conducted based on bodies presented with TIH at Pietersburg Hospital Forensic Pathology Department. A total of consecutive 85 cases with antemortem CT (ACT) scan findings were compared to autopsy findings using percentage agreement and Cohen’s kappa statistics. Results and conclusion There was a fair overall agreement (k=0.38) with overall discrepancy rate of 24.74%, ranging from 9.41% to 34.12% for individual TIH between ACT scan and autopsy findings. Subarachnoid haemorrhage had the lowest agreement between the ACT scan and autopsy findings for TIH. Patient and doctor factors associated with the discrepancies were assessed. Those associated factors, if addressed, may have a positive impact on patient outcome. As far as the debate on non-invasive autopsy procedure is concerned, as a result of existing discrepancy rate, we conclude that ACT should not be used alone in the determination of cause of death but may be used in conjunction with autopsy findings.

The historical development, current practice, and the future of interventional neuroradiology are intricately linked to the advancements in the imaging and devices used for neuroendovascular treatments. This thesis explores the advanced imaging potential of the C-arm imaging systems used in the neurointerventional suite and investigates the initial clinical experience with a new flow diverter device to treat the intracranial aneurysms. A cohort of aneurysmal SAH patients who developed delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI) were prospectively studied with a new parenchymal blood volume (PBV) research protocol C-arm CT examination concurrent with a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examination that included perfusion and diffusion weighted sequences. Using a robust quantitative volume-of-interest analysis, it was demonstrated that C-arm CT PBV measurements are in agreement with MR-PWI CBV and CBF, and the PBV represents a composite perfusion parameter with both blood-flow (&asymp;60&percnt;) and blood-volume (&asymp;40&percnt;) weightings. Subsequently, using a voxel-wise ROC curve analysis and MR-DWI, it was shown that using optimal thresholds, C-arm CT PBV measurements allow reliable demarcation of the irreversibly infarcted parenchyma. For evaluation of ischaemic parenchyma, the PBV measurements were reliable for moderate-to-severe ischaemia but were prone to underestimate the mild-to-moderate ischaemia. A catalogue of reference mean PBV measurements was then created for various anatomical regions encompassing the whole brain after excluding any locations with ongoing ischaemia or infarction. Next, using an ROI-based analysis of the C-arm CT projection data, steady-state contrast concentration assumption underlying the PBV calculations was investigated. It was demonstrated that for clinical scans, the ideal steady-state assumption is not fully met, however, for a large majority of C-arm CT examinations the temporal characteristics of TDCs closely approximate the expected ideal steady-state. The degree to which the TDC of a C-arm CT scan approximates the ideal steady-state was found to influence the resulting PBV measurements and their agreement to MR-CBV. Moreover, the temporal characteristics of TDCs showed inter-subject variation. Finally, the C-arm CT cross-sectional soft tissue images were demonstrated to be of adequate quality for the assessment of ventricles and for the detection of procedural vessel rupture. These findings advance the understanding of the nature of PBV parameter, establish the optimal PBV thresholds for infarction, provide reference PBV measurements, and highlight the limitations of C-arm CT PBV imaging. The work is of considerable clinical significance and has implications for implementation of C-arm CT PBV imaging in the interventional suite for management of patients with acute brain ischaemia. In regards to the initial clinical experience with the flow diversion treatment of intracranial aneurysms, the procedural, angiographic, and clinical outcomes were studied. Several pertinent technical and clinical issues were highlighted for this new treatment approach. Based on the observations made during this work, a new grading schema was then developed to monitor the angiographic outcomes after flow diversion treatment. Using the angiographic data for patients treated with FD, the new grading schema was demonstrated to be sufficiently sensitive to register gradual aneurysm occlusion and evaluate parent artery patency, with an excellent inter-rater reliability and applicability to various aneurysm morphologies. This work (largest multi-centre series at the time of its publication) informed the interventional neuroradiology community about the safety, efficacy, and outcomes of flow diversion treatment. Additionally, it provided a sensitive and reliable scale to evaluate the angiographic outcomes after flow diversion treatment, in both research and clinical practice.

A hemorragia alveolar é uma síndrome que pode ocorrer como manifestação de uma série de doenças, cada uma com eventos fisiopatológicos diferentes resultando em sangramento pulmonar. A análise histológica detalhada destes pacientes pode auxiliar no entendimento desta síndrome. Neste estudo nós fizemos a revisão e descrição dos achados das lâminas de tecido pulmonar e do prontuário médico de 48 pacientes falecidos por hemorragia alveolar nos anos de 1999 a 2004. A maioria apresentou hemorragia de característica difusa (87,5%), predominantemente alveolar (79,2%), sem sinais de recorrência (79,2%) e com presença de fibrina (81,3%). As outras características avaliadas foram: vasculite (8,3%), trombose intravascular (27,1%),esclerose arterial (31,3%), capilarite (41,7%), acometimento intersticial (35,4%), acometimento venoso (41,7%), presença de sinais de infecção (50%), membrana hialina (25%). Com os registros médicos, classificamos os pacientes nas seguintes síndromes clínicas: congestão pulmonar (29,17%), coagulopatia (25%), sepse (27,08%) e inflamação (18,75%). Após as análises clínica e histológica, fizemos a correlação entre estes dados e encontramos que os pacientes com diagnóstico de congestão apresentaram menor presença de fibrina e de acometimento intersticial e maior presença de sangramento focal. O sangramento por coagulopatia se caracterizou por menor presença de fibrina e ausência de sinais de sangramento recorrente. Os pacientes com infecção clínica, histologicamente apresentaram fibrina e sinais de infecção no tecido pulmonar, já os pacientes com diagnóstico de inflamação se caracterizaram pela presença de fibrina, esclerose arterial e sangramento focal. Concluindo, nosso estudo sugere que alguns padrões histológicos são mais comuns em determinadas síndromes clínicas, e podem ser úteis no diagnóstico causal da hemorragia alveolar / Alveolar haemorrhage is a syndrome presented by many diseases each one with its particular physiopathologic mechanism resulting in pulmonary bleeding. The detailed histological analysis of these patients can help understanding this syndrome. In this study we reviewed and described histological findings of lung slides and medical records from patients whose cause of death was alveolar haemorrhage between 1999 and 2004. Most patients presented diffuse (87,5%), mainly alveolar (79,2%) rather than interstitial and recent bleeding with no signs of recurrence (79,2%). We also observed the presence of: fibrin (81,3%), vasculitis (8,3%), intravascular thrombosis (27,1%), arterial sclerosis (31,3%), capillarity (41,7%), interstitial involvement (35,4%), venous involvement (41,7%), signs of infection on lung tissue (50%) and hyaline membrane (25%). Clinically we classified the patients as having one of the following syndromes: pulmonary oedema due to congestive heart failure (CHF- 29,17%), coagulation disorders (25%), sepsis (27,08%) and systemic inflammation (18,75%). After correlating clinical and histological data we found CHF to have lower presence of fibrin and interstitial involvement and a greater presence of focal bleeding. Coagulation disorders were characterized by no signs of recurrent bleeding and a lower presence of fibrin than infection and inflammation. Patients with clinical diagnosis of systemic inflammation had a greater presence of fibrin and arterial sclerosis than other clinical syndrome and patients with clinical diagnosis of sepsis showed presence of signs of infection in lung tissue no matter the clinical site of infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that some histological patterns happens more commonly in determined clinical syndromes and can help diagnosing the cause of bleeding .

A hemorragia alveolar é uma síndrome que pode ocorrer como manifestação de uma série de doenças, cada uma com eventos fisiopatológicos diferentes resultando em sangramento pulmonar. A análise histológica detalhada destes pacientes pode auxiliar no entendimento desta síndrome. Neste estudo nós fizemos a revisão e descrição dos achados das lâminas de tecido pulmonar e do prontuário médico de 48 pacientes falecidos por hemorragia alveolar nos anos de 1999 a 2004. A maioria apresentou hemorragia de característica difusa (87,5%), predominantemente alveolar (79,2%), sem sinais de recorrência (79,2%) e com presença de fibrina (81,3%). As outras características avaliadas foram: vasculite (8,3%), trombose intravascular (27,1%),esclerose arterial (31,3%), capilarite (41,7%), acometimento intersticial (35,4%), acometimento venoso (41,7%), presença de sinais de infecção (50%), membrana hialina (25%). Com os registros médicos, classificamos os pacientes nas seguintes síndromes clínicas: congestão pulmonar (29,17%), coagulopatia (25%), sepse (27,08%) e inflamação (18,75%). Após as análises clínica e histológica, fizemos a correlação entre estes dados e encontramos que os pacientes com diagnóstico de congestão apresentaram menor presença de fibrina e de acometimento intersticial e maior presença de sangramento focal. O sangramento por coagulopatia se caracterizou por menor presença de fibrina e ausência de sinais de sangramento recorrente. Os pacientes com infecção clínica, histologicamente apresentaram fibrina e sinais de infecção no tecido pulmonar, já os pacientes com diagnóstico de inflamação se caracterizaram pela presença de fibrina, esclerose arterial e sangramento focal. Concluindo, nosso estudo sugere que alguns padrões histológicos são mais comuns em determinadas síndromes clínicas, e podem ser úteis no diagnóstico causal da hemorragia alveolar / Alveolar haemorrhage is a syndrome presented by many diseases each one with its particular physiopathologic mechanism resulting in pulmonary bleeding. The detailed histological analysis of these patients can help understanding this syndrome. In this study we reviewed and described histological findings of lung slides and medical records from patients whose cause of death was alveolar haemorrhage between 1999 and 2004. Most patients presented diffuse (87,5%), mainly alveolar (79,2%) rather than interstitial and recent bleeding with no signs of recurrence (79,2%). We also observed the presence of: fibrin (81,3%), vasculitis (8,3%), intravascular thrombosis (27,1%), arterial sclerosis (31,3%), capillarity (41,7%), interstitial involvement (35,4%), venous involvement (41,7%), signs of infection on lung tissue (50%) and hyaline membrane (25%). Clinically we classified the patients as having one of the following syndromes: pulmonary oedema due to congestive heart failure (CHF- 29,17%), coagulation disorders (25%), sepsis (27,08%) and systemic inflammation (18,75%). After correlating clinical and histological data we found CHF to have lower presence of fibrin and interstitial involvement and a greater presence of focal bleeding. Coagulation disorders were characterized by no signs of recurrent bleeding and a lower presence of fibrin than infection and inflammation. Patients with clinical diagnosis of systemic inflammation had a greater presence of fibrin and arterial sclerosis than other clinical syndrome and patients with clinical diagnosis of sepsis showed presence of signs of infection in lung tissue no matter the clinical site of infection. In conclusion, our study suggests that some histological patterns happens more commonly in determined clinical syndromes and can help diagnosing the cause of bleeding .

Many patients with an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) exhibit difficulties in rehabilitation, even in cases of a good prognosis. The present project investigates this using qualitative methods and standardised outcome measures. Patients with SAH treated at Uppsala University Hospital between 2002 and 2005 with an expected good prognosis were consecutively included. In addition, nurses working with such patients were interviewed. Outcome was assessed in terms of perception of care, psychiatric health, coping and health related quality of life (HRQoL). Qualitative content analyses revealed eight categories, which were divided into two patterns, Confident or Pessimistic perception of recovery, largely on the basis of the presence or absence of depression. Eighty-three patients were assessed by The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Axis I (SCID-I). Forty-one percent fulfilled criteria for any psychiatric disorder seven months after SAH and 45 % presented with a history of lifetime psychiatric morbidity. Logistic regressions indicated that a psychiatric history was related to a higher risk of psychiatric problems seven months after SAH, as well as a lower return to work. SAH patients had lower HRQoL than the general Swedish population; almost entirely in the subgroup with a psychiatric history prior to the SAH. Those with a psychiatric history used more evasive, fatalistic, emotive and palliative coping strategies associated with inability to handle illness. Multiple regressions revealed that a psychiatric history and use of coping were independently associated with HRQoL, albeit more in the mental than the physical domains. Qualitative content analyses revealed that nurses viewed patients’ support needs as a process ranging from technological to emotional care. Shortcomings in the communication between nurses in acute and rehabilitation settings on the subject of support were acknowledged. The results underline the importance of early diagnosis of coexisting psychiatric illness and the need for an intact health care chain.

Patients admitted in similar clinical condition after spontaneous SAH can develop very different clinical courses. This could depend on the severity of the initial global ischemic brain injury at ictus. In the present study, we explored relations between clinical and radiological parameters at admission that indicate a more severe initial impact, and the following days hormone levels and brain metabolism. Early global cerebral oedema (GCE) on computed tomography occurred in 57 % of SAH patients and was associated with a more severe clinical condition. The brain’s glucose metabolism, measured with intracerebral microdialysis (MD), changed the first days. MD-glucose was initially high and MD-pyruvate low. MD-glucose gradually decreased and MD-pyruvate and MD-lactate increased, suggesting a transition to a hyperglycolytic state. This was more pronounced in patients with GCE. Similar patterns were seen for interstitial non-transmitter amino acids. From initial low concentrations, they gradually increased in parallel with MD-pyruvate. The amino acid concentrations were higher for patients admitted in better clinical condition. Insulin lowered MD-glucose and MD-pyruvate even when plasma glucose values remained high. P-ACTH and S-cortisol were elevated early after SAH. GCE was associated with higher S-cortisol acutely. Urine cortisol excretion, indicating levels of free cortisol, were higher in patients in a better clinical condition. Suppressed P-ACTH occurred in periods of brain ischemia. We suggest that GCE on the first CT scan is a warning sign indicating increased vulnerability if the patient is exposed to compromised energy supply or increased energy demand. Reduction of blood glucose after SAH should be done with caution. The temporal change of the glucose metabolism and the amino acid concentrations probably reflect activated repair mechanisms. This should be considered in the intensive care treatment of SAH patients. Finally, our results support earlier observations that the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is important in critical care.