Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39266867›Full record

ArticleNeurocritical care2025

The Impact of Sedative Choice in the Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Scoping Review.

James Then, Samuel Tawfik, Timothy Law, Alastair Brown, Vanessa Carnegie, Andrew Udy, Toby Jeffcote

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Neurocritical care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

James ThenDepartment of Intensive Care, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. james.then@mh.org.au.ORCID 0009-0002-2147-6027
Samuel TawfikThe Victorian Brain and Spine Centre, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Timothy LawDepartment of Intensive Care, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Alastair BrownDepartment of Intensive Care, St. Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Vanessa CarnegieDepartment of Intensive Care, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
Andrew UdyDepartment of Intensive Care, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Toby JeffcoteDepartment of Intensive Care, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is characterized by high mortality and morbidity. This scoping review assesses the current evidence regarding the use of sedatives and analgesics in the acute intensive care unit management of aSAH. We conducted a systematic search of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid EmCare, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to June 2023. Studies were included if they enrolled intensive care unit patients aged 18 or older with a significant proportion (> 20%) who had aSAH and evaluated the impact of one or more commonly used analgosedatives on physiological parameters in the management of aSAH. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies score. Of 2,583 articles, 11 met the inclusion criteria. The median sample size was 47 (interquartile range 10-127), and the median Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies score was 9.5 (interquartile range 8-11). The studies' publication years ranged from 1980 to 2023. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine showed potential benefits in reducing the incidence of cortical spreading depolarization and delayed cerebral ischemia. Propofol and opioids appeared safe but lacked robust evidence for efficacy. Benzodiazepines were associated with increased delayed cerebral ischemia-related cerebral infarctions and cortical spreading depolarization events. The evidence available to guide the use of analgosedative medications in aSAH is critically inadequate. Dexmedetomidine and ketamine warrant further exploration in large-scale prospective studies because of their potential benefits. Improved study designs with consistent definitions and a focus on patient-centered outcomes are necessary to inform clinical practice.

Indexed as

Critical CareHypnotics and SedativesSubarachnoid HemorrhageAnalgesics, OpioidDexmedetomidineHumansKetaminePropofolAnalgesics, OpioidDexmedetomidineHypnotics and SedativesKetaminePropofolAdrenergic alpha agonistBarbituaratesBenzodiazepinesClonidineConscious sedationDeep sedationDexmedetomidineDiazepamFentanylKetamineMedetomidineMidazolamMorphineOpiateOpioidPhenobarbitalRuptured intracranial aneurysmSubarachnoid hemorrhageThiopental

Identifiers

PMID39266867
PMCPMC11950080

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.