Neurocritical Care Society Podcast

In this episode of the NCS Podcast Hot Topics series, host Eric Lawson, MD, speaks with NCS Vice President and Annual Meeting Planning Committee Chair Lori Shutter, MD, FNCS, for a preview of the NCS 24th Annual Meeting, taking place Oct. 20-23 in Seattle. Dr. Shutter discusses this year's theme, "Reaching New Heights: Advancing the Future of Neurocritical Care," and how it reflects the Society's continued growth and optimism about the future of the field. The conversation offers a look at expanded workshop offerings, including sessions on the essentials of neurocritical care, critical care procedures, point-of-care and neurofocused ultrasound, and informatics and big data. Dr. Shutter also previews keynote addresses from Walter Koroshetz, MD, and Lisa Meeks, PhD, along with sessions focused on clinical trials, physiology, pediatric neurocritical care, global health, professional development and sustainability in the ICU. Listeners will also learn about opportunities for first-time attendees and new members, the return of the leadership closing panel and an open brainstorming session focused on the Society's next major area of research. Dr. Shutter shares how attendee feedback shaped this year's program and offers advice for making the most of the meeting's concurrent sessions, networking opportunities and special events. The views expressed on the NCS Podcast are solely those of the host and guest and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official positions of the Neurocritical Care Society.

In this episode of the NCS Podcast Currents series, host Lauren Koffman, DO, MS, speaks with Shraddha Mainali, Sahar Zafar and Brooke Murtaugh about their Currents article, "Neurocritical Care Disorders of Consciousness: Do We Have the Education We Need to Provide Care?" The guests discuss the clinical spectrum of disorders of consciousness and the importance of accurately assessing patients using standardized bedside examinations, neuroimaging and other multimodal tools. They also examine the role of neuroprognostication in guiding conversations with families and ensuring that patients are given appropriate opportunities for recovery. The conversation explores findings from a pilot survey on educational needs related to disorders of consciousness. The panel discusses barriers to care and education, including limited access to centralized resources, time constraints and knowledge gaps in assessment, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. They also highlight the Curing Coma® Campaign's efforts to expand access to evidence-based education through webinars, online resources, World Coma Day and interdisciplinary global collaboration. To read the full article, visit NCS Currents. The views expressed on the NCS Podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official positions of the Neurocritical Care Society.

In this episode of the NCS Podcast Hot Topics series, host Rich Choi, MD, is joined by Eric Rosenthal, MD, to discuss the article "Surgical Intervention for Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus," a systematic review published in Neurocritical Care. Their conversation explores why super-refractory status epilepticus can become increasingly difficult to control, the limited evidence guiding treatment after standard medical therapies have failed and how surgical approaches may fit into care for selected patients. They also discuss the review's findings across 114 reported cases, including high rates of status epilepticus termination after surgical intervention, the distinction between terminating status and achieving long-term freedom from disabling seizures and the potential role of earlier multidisciplinary collaboration with epilepsy and neurosurgery teams. Dr. Rosenthal also emphasizes the importance of matching the intervention to the patient's underlying etiology, seizure localization and goals of care. The views expressed on the NCS Podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official positions of the Neurocritical Care Society.

In this episode of the NCS Podcast Hot Topics series, host Rich Choi, MD, is joined by Alejandro Rabinstein, MD, Shraddha Mainali, MD, and Krishna Rajajee, MD, to discuss the article "Guidelines for Neuroprognostication in Critically Ill Adults With Acute Ischemic Stroke," published in Neurocritical Care. Their conversation explores the development of the guideline, including the need for a more structured, evidence-based approach to prognostication in critically ill patients with acute ischemic stroke. The guests discuss why early prognostication is especially high-stakes, how uncertainty and the risk of self-fulfilling prophecy shaped the recommendations and why no single clinical variable or prediction model is reliable enough to guide individual decisions about poor outcomes. They also review the role of early neurological improvement as a moderately reliable predictor of good outcomes, the limitations of existing prediction models in the era of reperfusion therapy, and the importance of multimodal assessment, ongoing family conversations, long-term outcome counseling and shared decision-making rooted in each patient's values. The views expressed on the NCS Podcast are solely those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official positions of the Neurocritical Care Society.