Emergency Medicine in Neurosurgery

Emergencies in neurosurgery include intracranial bleeding, injuries to the brain and spinal cord and tumors in the brain resulting in hydrocephalus. Rapid interventions are required for neurosurgical emergencies to limit the residual neurological deficit that occurs due to brain damage. Access to quality neurosurgical care is the decisive factor in the outcome of the care.

A 35-year-old man who works for an IT firm had a severe headache of sudden onset following which he collapsed at his workplace. He was brought to the emergency room of Apollo Hospital, OMR- Chennai in an unconscious state. The ER physicians were quick to recognize the gravity of the patient’s condition, and at the outset, they diagnosed probability of an underlying neurosurgical complication. The neurosurgeon was immediately available for managing the patient. An emergency CT scan revealed the presence of a massive bleed in the brain. The patient was quickly assessed and stabilized with intubation and prepared for surgery. Emergency neurosurgery was performed to evacuate the blood collected in the brain. After the surgery, the patient received intensive post-surgical care. He recovered with minimal neurological deficit.

Time is the most critical component in the management of a neurosurgical emergency. In the above case, the patient was evaluated and prepared for the surgical procedure within 50 minutes. The readiness of the emergency department in Apollo Hospitals and the quick decision to perform a craniotomy played a crucial role in minimizing the residual neurological damage.

The staff of the emergency department of Apollo Hospitals is highly trained and adept in recognizing any neurosurgical emergency. The neurosurgeon is immediately alerted as soon as an emergency occurs. Apollo Hospitals also have advanced imaging techniques for neurosurgical cases. Most surgeries are performed in state-of-art operating theatres within the initial 3 hours of presentation to result in the best possible outcome for the patient.

Intracranial Hemorrhages are neurosurgical emergencies