Daniel F. Hanley

Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage is bleeding into the parenchyma of the brain that may extend into the ventricles and, in rare cases, the subarachnoid space. Each year, approximately 37,000 to 52,400 people in the United States have an intracerebral hemorrhage.1,2 This rate is expected to double during the next 50 years as a result of the increasing age of the population and changes in racial demographics. Intracerebral hemorrhage accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all cases of stroke and is associated with the highest mortality rate, with only 38 percent of affected patients surviving the first year.3 Depending on . . .

PURPOSE: The aim of this statement is to present current and comprehensive recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: A formal literature search of Medline was performed through the end date of August 2006. The results of this search were complemented by additional articles on related issues known to the writing committee. Data were synthesized with the use of evidence tables. The American Heart Association Stroke Council's Levels of Evidence grading algorithm was used to grade each recommendation. Prerelease review of the draft guideline was performed by 5 expert peer reviewers and by the members of the Stroke Council Leadership Committee. It is intended that this guideline be fully updated in 3 years' time. RESULTS: Evidence-based guidelines are presented for the diagnosis of intracerebral hemorrhage, the management of increased arterial blood pressure and intracranial pressure, the treatment of medical complications of intracerebral hemorrhage, and the prevention of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage. Recent trials of recombinant factor VII to slow initial bleeding are discussed. Recommendations for various surgical approaches for treatment of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage are presented. Finally, withdrawal-of-care and end-of-life issues in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage are examined.

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available to guide the choice of a target for the systolic blood-pressure level when treating acute hypertensive response in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: We randomly assigned eligible participants with intracerebral hemorrhage (volume, <60 cm(3)) and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 5 or more (on a scale from 3 to 15, with lower scores indicating worse condition) to a systolic blood-pressure target of 110 to 139 mm Hg (intensive treatment) or a target of 140 to 179 mm Hg (standard treatment) in order to test the superiority of intensive reduction of systolic blood pressure to standard reduction; intravenous nicardipine to lower blood pressure was administered within 4.5 hours after symptom onset. The primary outcome was death or disability (modified Rankin scale score of 4 to 6, on a scale ranging from 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 3 months after randomization, as ascertained by an investigator who was unaware of the treatment assignments. RESULTS: Among 1000 participants with a mean (±SD) systolic blood pressure of 200.6±27.0 mm Hg at baseline, 500 were assigned to intensive treatment and 500 to standard treatment. The mean age of the patients was 61.9 years, and 56.2% were Asian. Enrollment was stopped because of futility after a prespecified interim analysis. The primary outcome of death or disability was observed in 38.7% of the participants (186 of 481) in the intensive-treatment group and in 37.7% (181 of 480) in the standard-treatment group (relative risk, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.27; analysis was adjusted for age, initial GCS score, and presence or absence of intraventricular hemorrhage). Serious adverse events occurring within 72 hours after randomization that were considered by the site investigator to be related to treatment were reported in 1.6% of the patients in the intensive-treatment group and in 1.2% of those in the standard-treatment group. The rate of renal adverse events within 7 days after randomization was significantly higher in the intensive-treatment group than in the standard-treatment group (9.0% vs. 4.0%, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of participants with intracerebral hemorrhage to achieve a target systolic blood pressure of 110 to 139 mm Hg did not result in a lower rate of death or disability than standard reduction to a target of 140 to 179 mm Hg. (Funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center; ATACH-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01176565 .).