Decision Algorithms for Emergency Neurology

Chapter 1. Transient loss of consciousness.- Chapter 2. Coma.- Chapter 3. Delirium /acute confusional state.- Chapter 4. Motor and non-motor epileptic manifestations.- Chapter 5. Headache.- Chapter 6. Fever and neurological signs.- Chapter 7. Acute vision disorders.- Chapter 8. Dizziness.- Chapter 9. Diagnostic algorithm for patients presenting with acute dizziness: the ATTEST method.- Chapter 10. Focal neurological deficits.- Chapter 11. Paraplegia and quadriplegia in the emergency room and in intensive care environment.- Chapter 12. Head injuries.- Chapter 13. Muscle pains, loss of strength and/or sensory disorders.- Chapter 14. Emergencies in movement disorders.- Chapter 15. Airway and respiratory emergencies in neurological disorders.- Chapter 16. Neurological emergencies in pregnancy and puerperium.- Chapter 17. Functional disorders in neurological emergencies.- Chapter 18. Clinical toxicology in emergency neurology.- Chapter 19. Clinical models for neurological emergency.

This book adopts a novel approach: procedures: instead of discussing the diagnostic categories of neurological syndromes, it focuses on the symptoms of common neurological presentations (especially in the emergency room or on the ward), and the diagnostic hypotheses that can be validated or rejected case by case as a result. Each chapter covers one of the main symptoms of emergencies in neurology - from transient consciousness disturbances to focal deficits, acute muscular disorders, respiratory insufficiency in neurological disorders, headaches, delirium, seizures and epileptic status, para-and tetraplegia, and head trauma, to acute functional disorders - and includes tables and figures to allow readers to gain a quick and easy, yet comprehensive overview of the topic.

The book guides readers through various scenarios generated by the onset of symptoms, the clinical tools for differential diagnostics, and the principles of acute and post-acute phase therapy, managed by decision algorithms supported by the most recent scientific evidence.

The resulting precedural profile - created through the collaboration of over 80 specialists in neurology or other disciplines - makes this text a valuable tool for neurologists, neurology residents and allied professionals in their daily clinical practice, as well as medical students.

Giuseppe Micieli is currently the Director of the Department of Emergency Neurology of the IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation in Pavia. A co-founder and President of the Italian Associazione Neurologia Emergenza Urgenza (Association of Emergency-Urgency Neurology, ANEU) (2011), he edited the previous Italian versions (2014, 2017, 2019) of Emergency Neurology. His main clinical and research interests include headaches, dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous system, cerebrovascular diseases, and emergency neurology, and he has authored several publications, and developed and implemented clinical management models in these areas.

Anna Cavallini is currently the Director of the Cerebrovascular Unit of the IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation in Pavia. She co-founded the Italian Associazione Neurologia Emergenza Urgenza (Association of Emergency-Urgency Neurology, ANEU, and was a member of its board from 2015 to 2018, and has been its secretary since 2018. She edited the two last Italian versions (2017, 2019) of Emergency Neurology. Her main clinical and research interests include cerebrovascular diseases and emergency neurology. She has collaborated on numerous scientific projects, in particular concerning clinical and organizational models for the management of acute stroke patients. She is the author of numerous papers.

Stefano Ricci is the former the Head of the Neurological Unit, USLO Umbria 1, where he opened 2 Stroke Units in the hospitals Città di Castello and Branca. He participated in numerous national and international trials, serving as the national coordinator for several them (IST 3, INETRACT 2, ENCHANTED, CLOTS 1 and 2). He is an editor for the Cochrane Stroke Group, and a referee for several journals including Stroke and JNNP.

Domenico Consoli is the former Head of the Neurological Unit, Azzolino Hospital, Vibo Valentia. His main fields of research were cerebrovascular disease and emergency neurology, and he is author of numerous papers on these topics. Vice President of the Italian ANEU, he created and is President of the Hipponion Prize, which is awarded for the best studies conducted by young Italian researchers in the field of cerebrovascular diseases. Jonathan A. Edlow, MD, is Vice-Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Professor of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School. He is an internationally renowned expert on diagnosis and misdiagnosis of patients with neurological emergencies, especially in patients with acute cerebrovascular diseases such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack and posterior circulation stroke. Dr. Edlow has also been involved with the international development of emergency medicine for over 2 decades and has participated in consulting projects in several countries. Dr. Edlow completed a residency in internal medicine at Boston City Hospital in 1981 and has practiced emergency medicine ever since then. He is board-certified in both emergency medicine and internal medicine. Since 1999, Dr. Edlow has served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at BIDMC. He is also a Professor of both Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.