Barbiturates for acute neurological and neurosurgical emergencies – do they still have a role?

• Published in: Journal of Clinical Neuroscience Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 283 - 288
• Main Authors: Cordato, Dennis J., Herkes, Geoffrey K, Mather, Laurence E., Morgan, Michael K.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Barbiturates - administration & dosage; Barbiturates - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Injuries - drug therapy; Craniocerebral Trauma - drug therapy; Craniocerebral Trauma - mortality; Emergencies; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives - administration & dosage; Hypnotics and Sedatives - therapeutic use; Hypnotics. Sedatives; Intracranial Pressure - drug effects; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Neurosurgery - methods; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Retrospective Studies; Status Epilepticus - drug therapy; Thiopental - therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; Vasospasm, Intracranial - drug therapy; Vasospasm, Intracranial - mortality; Human; Chemotherapy; Nervous system diseases; Treatment; Indication; Surgery; Emergency; Barbiturates
• DOI: 10.1016/S0967-5868(03)00034-1
• EISSN: 1532-2653
• ISSN: 0967-5868

A number of clinical studies have reported poor clinical outcomes for patients treated with barbiturate therapy in acute neurological and neurosurgical emergencies. Barbiturate therapy, as currently practised with thiopentone and pentobarbitone at least, is also associated with a prolonged post-infusion period of clinical unresponsiveness. Hence, the popularity of barbiturate therapy for sedation of critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients has declined over the past decade. A retrospective study of traumatic brain injury patients treated at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, with high-dose thiopentone therapy between 1987 and 1997 has found disappointing results with a 1-month mortality outcome of 50% (14 of 28 patients). Nevertheless, barbiturate therapy remains a consideration for patients with severe cranial trauma in whom preferred treatments have failed to control intracranial or cerebral perfusion pressures. More favourable results (∼10% 1-month mortality rate) were encountered for patients with refractory vasospasm complicating subarachnoid haemorrhage or intracerebral haemorrhage complicating supratentorial arteriovenous malformation resection. A well designed, prospective and randomised controlled trial may be of value in further determining the role of barbiturate therapy in acute neurovascular emergencies refractory to standard therapy.