For Patients

Our extensive teams of specialists work together to care for patients with a variety of neurological conditions and diseases including stroke, hemorrhage, brain and spine tumors, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular disorders, and prolonged or continuous seizures.

The unit is staffed by neurointensivists, anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, nurse practitioners, critical care nurses, and respiratory therapists who are specially trained in critical neurological/neurosurgical disorders.

Our treatment team also includes social workers, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, and clinical pharmacologists. This multidisciplinary expertise allows us to create an integrated treatment plan for each patient.

Conditions We Treat

Below is a listing of the conditions treated by the Neuromedicine ICU. These include, but are not limited to:

• Pre or post-operative neurosurgery patients
• Patients with ischemic/embolic stroke
• Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
• Intracerebral Hemorrhage
• Brain tumors
• Cerebral Aneurysms
• Seizures
• Status Epileptics
• Coma of unknown etiology
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Gillian-Barré Syndrome
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Neuromuscular Failure requiring mechanical ventilation
• Encephalitis
• Meningitis
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Acute Spinal Cord Injury
• Any other acute neurological/neurosurgical impairment requiring ICU leve care
• Any patient who is deemed critically ill and requires emergent intensive care unit care
• Patients with acute brain or spinal cord injury and a ventricular assist device (VAD)

Treatments Provided

• Management of high intracranial pressure.
• Intracranial pressure monitoring (intraventricular catheter, Camino monitor) and cerebral perfusion pressure monitoring.
• Insertion and management of advanced neuromonitoring devices for the measurement of brain tissue oxygenation (LICOX)
• Management of cerebral vasospasm and cerebral edema.
• Continuous EEG monitoring
• Intraventricular tPA in selected IVH cases.
• Intraventricular medications (nicardipine, certain antibiotics) in selected cases.
• Initiation and management of hypothermia therapy.
• Mechanical ventilation (Airway Pressure Release Ventilation [APRV], Bi-vent/Bi-Level, High-frequency Oscillatory Ventilation [HFOV], other traditional modes, non-invasive ventilation, and High Flow Humidified Oxygenation).
• Pulse Oxygenation (Sp02) and Endtidal CO2 monitoring.
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
• Invasive hemodynamic monitoring (i.e. arterial lines, central venous lines, pulmonary artery catheters, continuous cardiac output catheters, ScvO2 catheters).
• Use of bedside ultrasound and ECHO for advanced hemodynamic assessments.
• ECG monitoring.
• Continuous renal replacement therapy (e.g., CAVHD, CVVHD, CVVHDF), hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis.
• Fluid and electrolyte management.
• Enteral/parenteral nutrition.
• Intra-abdominal bladder pressure monitoring.
• Chest tube and other drain management.
• Wound care/ Wound V.A.C. management.
• Orthopedic stabilization; spinal immobilization.

Patient Story

• Joe Dauphinet - Brain Aneurysm