ABA Neurocritical Care case studies
ABA Neurocritical Care · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Neurocritical Care Exam is one of the subspecialty examinations listed by the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) alongside the Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Health Care Administration Leadership and Management, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Pain Medicine, Pediatric Anesthesiology, and Sleep Medicine exams. It is intended for anesthesiologists who have completed their core certification pathway and wish to pursue subspecialty certification in the multidisciplinary field of neurocritical care, caring for patients with acute neurologic and neurosurgical critical illness. The ABA Neurocritical Care case studies are 5 cases and about 2,801 words.
1Post-Cardiac-Arrest Target Temperature With Bradycardia and Recurrent Seizures
A 58-year-old man is comatose 6 hours after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (witnessed, bystander CPR, initial rhythm VF, ROSC at 22 minutes). He is intubated and sedated with propofol and fentanyl, on norepinephrine 0.08 mcg/kg/min.
581 words, about 3 min2Severe TBI With a Contusion Expanding on Repeat Imaging
A 34-year-old woman, restrained driver, GCS 7 (E1 V2 M4) after a motor vehicle crash. Initial CT: right frontal contusion 12 mm, no midline shift, small traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.
628 words, about 3 min3SAH With Vasospasm, Hyponatremia, and a Falling Level of Consciousness
A 52-year-old woman, day 6 after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt-Hess 3, coiled on day 1). She has a right frontal EVD for hydrocephalus, draining 10 mL/h.
543 words, about 3 min4Status Epilepticus Refractory to Two Agents in a Patient With Renal Failure
A 61-year-old man with ESRD on hemodialysis presents in generalized convulsive status epilepticus. He received 10 mg IV lorazepam in the field and 4 mg more in the ED, then levetiracetam 60 mg/kg IV load (his weight is 90 kg).
531 words, about 3 min5Decompressive Craniectomy Decision in a Young Patient With Malignant MCA Infarction
A 44-year-old right-handed woman with atrial fibrillation, off anticoagulation, presents 5 hours after onset of left hemiplegia and gaze deviation. CT shows a right MCA territory infarct with no hemorrhage; CTA shows right M1 occlusion.
518 words, about 3 min