Pharmacologic Management of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

World Neurosurg. 2015 Jul;84(1):28-35. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2015.02.004. Epub 2015 Feb 18.

Abstract

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains a condition with suboptimal functional outcomes, especially in the young population. Pharmacotherapy has an accepted role in several aspects of the disease and an emerging role in several others. No preventive pharmacologic interventions for SAH currently exist. Antiplatelet medications as well as anticoagulation have been used to prevent thromboembolic events after endovascular coiling. However, the main focus of pharmacologic treatment of SAH is the prevention of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Currently the only evidence-based medical intervention is nimodipine. Other calcium channel blockers have been evaluated without convincing efficacy. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as statins have demonstrated early potential; however, they failed to provide significant evidence for the use in preventing DCI. Similar findings have been reported for magnesium, which showed potential in experimental studies and a phase 2 trial. Clazosentane, a potent endothelin receptor antagonist, did not translate to improve functional outcomes. Various other neuroprotective agents have been used to prevent DCI; however, the results have been, at best inconclusive. The prevention of DCI and improvement in functional outcome remain the goals of pharmacotherapy after the culprit lesion has been treated in aneurysmal SAH. Therefore, further research to elucidate the exact mechanisms by which DCI is propagated is clearly needed. In this article, we review the current pharmacologic approaches that have been evaluated in SAH and highlight the areas in which further research is needed.

Keywords: Mortality; Outcome; Subarachnoid hemorrhage; Therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones / therapeutic use*
  • Animals
  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis
  • Brain Ischemia / etiology
  • Brain Ischemia / prevention & control*
  • Calcium Channel Blockers / therapeutic use*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Dexamethasone / administration & dosage
  • Dioxanes / administration & dosage
  • Dioxanes / pharmacology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / administration & dosage
  • Estrogens / administration & dosage
  • Estrogens / adverse effects
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Free Radical Scavengers / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Magnesium Sulfate / therapeutic use
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Nimodipine / therapeutic use
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Pregnatrienes / administration & dosage
  • Progesterone / administration & dosage
  • Progesterone / adverse effects
  • Pyridines / administration & dosage
  • Pyridines / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / administration & dosage
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • Receptor, Endothelin A / drug effects
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / complications
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / drug therapy*
  • Sulfonamides / administration & dosage
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology
  • Tetrazoles / administration & dosage
  • Tetrazoles / pharmacology

Substances

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Anticoagulants
  • Calcium Channel Blockers
  • Dioxanes
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Estrogens
  • Free Radical Scavengers
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
  • Pregnatrienes
  • Pyridines
  • Pyrimidines
  • Receptor, Endothelin A
  • Sulfonamides
  • Tetrazoles
  • lithospermate B
  • clazosentan
  • Progesterone
  • Nimodipine
  • Magnesium Sulfate
  • Dexamethasone
  • tirilazad