The unavoidable reading material for this topic includes the following textbook chapters and papers:
Reading the Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines is also unavoidable. Walker and O'Brien's 1990 paper "Neurological examination of the unconscious patient" is an excellent brief synopsis; it draws its inspiration from the 1980 edition of Plum and Posner's "The Diagnosis of Stupor and Coma", which is essentially the Old Testament for neurological examination of the critically ill. The time-poor candidate will probably be unable to make use of this textbook, but the paper needs to be read through at least once before the exam. The hypothetical exam candidate with infinite time resources may also benefit from exploring The Comatose Patient by Eelco Wijdicks (2014). Summaries and discussions of neurological and neurosurgical topics from Life in the Fast Lane are made available as a list of links in the Resources section. |
The Significance of Hiccups |
Thromboprophylaxis in neurosurgical patients |
Posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (PRES) |
Pneumocephalus |
Cerebral oedema |
Encephalitis |