OBJECTIVE Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are major causes of postoperative morbidity and mortality in surgery. However, there is neither a standardized protocol for perioperative prevention of DVT or PE in neurosurgery nor a consensus concerning the management of postoperative DVT or PE after craniotomy in the early postoperative course. METHODS We retrospectively an...

Administrative claims data have been used to measure risk-adjusted clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients. These data have been criticized because they cannot differentiate risk factors present at the time of admission from complications that occur during hospitalization. This paper illustrates how valid risk-adjustment can be achieved by enhancing administrative data with a present-on-admi...

BACKGROUND Seizures account for significant morbidity and mortality early in the course of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although there is sufficient literature suggesting short-term benefits of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in post-TBI patients, there has been no study to suggest a time frame for continuing AEDs in patients who have undergone a decompressive craniectomy for more severe TBI. We ex...

INTRODUCTION Postoperative shivering (POS) is an early complication after craniotomy. Preventive pharmacologic drugs are the mainstay of treatment. Meperidine is the drug of choice but with increased risk of apnea, nausea, and increased intracranial pressure. Some reports have suggested that ondansetron and meperidine have similar anti-shivering effects. OBJECTIVES To assess the preventive ef...