Special Interest

Abstract Submission

Get Your Head in the Game: Considerations for Patients with Concussion (1 Class A CE)

Speaker(s)

• 

  Daniel King, MNA, CRNA

  Staff Nurse Anesthetist
  Steward Medical Group
  Boston, Massachusetts

Concussions impact the normal functioning of the autonomic nervous system, glucose metabolism, impair cerebral autoregulation to PaCO2, and produce abnormal variances in myogenic and vagal tone. Because anesthesia also impacts these same processes, it is vital to delineate the best practice in the perioperative period to minimize additional damage to concussed brain. The presentation will examine current literature and provide relevant information for clinical practice, addressing the following questions:
1. What populations are at a higher risk for an undiagnosed concussion?
2. Are there perioperative assessments that can confirm the presence of concussion at baseline neurological assessment?
3. When caring for patients with a diagnosed concussion injury, are there best practices for monitoring the response to anesthesia interventions?
4. What additional research is needed to guide practice?

Learning Objectives:

• Identify patient populations at highest risk for diagnosed and undiagnosed concussions.
• Describe nervous system dysfunction and cellular pathophysiological changes associated with concussion injury.
• Understand best evidence-based practice techniques for optimizing anesthetic outcomes in patients who have sustained a concussion.