Neurologic Disorders

Abstract

This chapter reviews neurological conditions commonly found in the ICU, for example, brain death, defined as the permanent cessation of all brain function. The determination of brain death varies from institution to institution; the clinical determination of brain death includes coma of established causes, absence of spontaneous movements, absence of brain stem responses, and absence of respiratory activity for at least 3 min; the final component is usually the apnea test. Coma, a term denoting neurologic unresponsiveness, is a frequent cause of hospital admission. The causes of intracranial hypertension are brain tumors, fulminant hepatic failure, head injury, meningitis and/or encephalitis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, vasculitis, and others. Vascular insufficiency and stroke are also revised, as well as status epilepticus, defined as seizure activity continuing for 5 or 10 min or frequent clinical seizures without an interictal return to the baseline clinical state.