IRRAS Radio
IRRAS Radio
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The IRRAS Radio podcast provides an informative exploration of cutting-edge technology in the neurocritical care space. Host, John Unser, interviews thought-leaders from around the world to discuss; current treatment options for intracranial bleeding and traumatic brain injury, product reviews, and personal clinical experience.
Available episodes
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Aug 5, 2020
Episode 2: Insightful Discussion about Health Care Costs Due to EVD Infections
Neurosurgeon Dr. Kurt Yaeger, from Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, New York, shares insight to being a healthcare worker on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides an overview of his recent publication in World Neurosurgery, Patterns of Health Care Costs Due to External Ventricular Drain Infections.
Additional Information about this study can be found below.
Background: External ventricular drain (EVD) infections are a significant cause of morbidity among neurosurgical patients and have been correlated with increased length of hospital stay and longer requirements for intensive care. To date, no studies have examined the financial impact of EVD infections.
Methods: Patients who underwent EVD placement between December 2010 and January 2016 were included in the study. Clinical records were retrospectively reviewed and health care cost data were obtained from the hospital's finance department. Clinical information included patient demographics, details from the hospital course, and outcomes. Total costs, direct/indirect, and fixed/variable costs were analyzed for every patient.
Results: Over the 5-year study period, 246 EVDs were placed in 243 patients with an overall infection rate of 9.9% (N = 24). The median EVD duration for infected versus noninfected patients was 19 and 9 days, respectively (P < 0.0001). Median length of intensive care unit stay also was increased for patients with EVD infection (30 days vs. 13 days, P < 0.0001). Total health care costs were significantly greater for infected patients (US$ 168,692 vs. US$ 83,919, P < 0.0001). This trend was comparable for all other cost subtypes, including fixed-direct costs, fixed-indirect costs, variable direct costs, and variable-indirect costs.
Conclusions: EVD infection has a substantial effect on clinical morbidity and healthcare costs. These results demonstrate the imperative need to improve EVD infection prevention, particularly in the setting of a value-based health care system.
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Apr 15, 2020
Episode 4: Therapeutically Treating Ventriculitis
Dr. Behnam Rezai Jahromi is currently a resident at Helsinki University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, where he joined the world-renown neurosurgery department while attending high school. Dr. Rezai Jahromi has published more than 70 peer-review articles, has written 20 book chapters, and is running several intranational clinical studies regarding cerebrovascular disorders.
In this episode, Dr. Rezai Jahromi discusses his clinical experience with treating patients suffering from ventriculitis and shares how new innovative technology called IRRAflow, provides a needed change to therapeutically treating this disease.
In this informative episode, Dr. Rezai Jahromi discusses:
* How ventriculitis affects the ventricles of the brain
* Current standard of care for treating ventriculitis and the associated issues with these treatments
* Benefits of using IRRAflow to remove bacterial mass and deliver antibiotics within the ventricles
* Ventriculitis patient clinical success story
* Key takeaways for neurosurgeons treating patients suffering from ventriculitis
* How IRRAflow will continue to shape treatment approaches in the future
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Apr 14, 2020
Episode 3: Understanding Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH)
Neurointensivist Dr. Farrukh Chaudhry, FAAN, FNCS, from Community Health System in Muster, IN, discusses his clinical experience with treating patients suffering from intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH).
In this educational episode, Dr. Chaudhry covers:
- Two main methods used to treat IVHs
- Common complications associated with the current methods
- The CLEAR-III IVH Trial and treating IVH with tPA
- Length of hospital stay for patients with IVH
- The benefits of utilizing IRRAflow and tPA to therapeutically treat IVH
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Apr 8, 2020
Episode 1: A Novel Approach for Treating Chronic Subdural Hematomas
Dr. Sumeet Vadera, Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at UC Irvine Health, discusses his experience using new technology to treat a patient suffering from a Chronic Subdural Hematoma.
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