Research
The Division of Neurocritical Care in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics and the Department of Neurosurgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center conducts multiple clinical trials and has a large and active group of researchers.
Our researchers investigate problems such as ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and traumatic brain injury as well as problems related to these diseases, including communication and nursing management in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit.
Stroke Trials
Stroke Hyperglycemia Insulin Network Effort (SHINE)
- A phase III randomized, controlled trial of tight glucose control in diabetics with acute ischemic stroke
- Funded by NINDS
- Chris Hall is the Recruitment PI for the overall trial; Katrina is the Recruitment Specialist for the overall trial.
- Local PI: Christiana Hall, M.D.
- Local Coordinator: Katrina van de Bruinhorst katrina.vandebruinhorst@utsouthwestern.edu
Ethnic and Racial Differences in Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH)
- Large epidemiological trial examining racial differences in ICH
- Funded by NINDS
- Lead site is Cincinnati with overall trial PI Daniel Woo
- Local PI: Christiana Hall
- Local Coordinator: Pimen Kurashvili pimen.kurashvili@utsouthwestern.edu
Minimally Invasive Surgery plus rtPA for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation-Phase III (MISTIE III)
- A phase III, randomized, case-controlled, open-label, 500-subject clinical trial of minimally invasive surgery plus rt-PA in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage
- Funded by NINDS
- Lead site is Johns Hopkins with overall study PI Daniel Hanley
- Local PI: Tony Whitworth
- Local Coordinator: Jenny Benitez jenny.benitez@utsouthwestern.edu
Nursing-driven Acute Stroke Care (NAS-Care)
- Export an optimized NASCAR protocol as a template for model workflows at spoke sites in the Lone Star Stroke Network
- Funded by Lone Star Stroke Research Consortium
- Lead site is UT Austin with overall study PI Steve Warach
- Local Coordinator: Michelle Provencher michelle.provencher@utsouthwestern.edu
Quality Care Improvement with Nursing-driven Acute Stroke CARe (QCI-NASCARe)
- Nursing-driven stroke code protocol using a “NASCAR pit stop” model of accelerated triage and care delivery while engaging key advocates across all disciplines
- Funded by the Lone Star Stroke Consortium
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
TBI Trials
INvestigating TREatments for the Prevention of secondary Injury and Disability following TBI (INTREPID-2566 Study)
- A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Dose-escalation Study of NNZ-2566 in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Funded by the US Department of Defense, Neuren Pharmaceuticals, and the Geneva Foundation
- Local PI: Steve Figueroa
- Local Coordinator: Katrina van de Bruinhorst katrina.vandebruinhorst@utsouthwestern.edu
Neuroimaging to predict coma emergence and recovery (NICER)
- Examines prognostic models that integrate quantitative MRI to predict recovery with greater accuracy than existing models
- Submitted to NINDS
- Lead site Johns Hopkins with overall study PI Robert Johnson
- Local PI: Steve Figueroa
- Local Coordinator: Katrina van de Bruinhorst katrina.vandebruinhorst@utsouthwestern.edu
Other Trials
Brain Computer Interface
- Examines a specially modified EEG (electroencephalogram) called a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) to help improve communication between patients who cannot speak and their families and caregivers
- Submitting to National Science Foundation
- Local PI: Venkatesh Aiyagari
- Local Coordinator: Katrina van de Bruinhorst katrina.vandebruinhorst@utsouthwestern.edu
A Novel Approach To Exploring The Impact of Various Nursing Interventions In Critical Care-NATIVE
- Prospective observational study design to gather data from medical records, direct observation, video recording, and data streaming to examine nursing interventions that affect patients
- Funded by Covidien
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
Neuroscience Nursing Research Center (NNRC)
- Provides guidance to nurses who are interested in engaging in research by leveraging and coordinating existing research-related resources
- Director: DaiWai Olson
- Program Manager: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
Pupillary Inter-rater Reliability Assessment
- Explores differences between the ways that clinicians score pupillary changes versus how a device scores pupillary changes
- Funded by NeurOptics, Inc.
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
A week in the neurocritical care unit: point prevalence observational study in neurocritical care: PRINCE Study
- a multicenter prospective, observational study to assess the current scope of practice among neurointensivists
- Distributed by the Neurocritical Care Research Network (NCRN)
- Local PI: Steve Figueroa
- Local Coordinator: Katrina van de Bruinhorst katrina.vandebruinhorst@utsouthwestern.edu
Upcoming Trials
Sound in Neuroscience Intensive Care (SoNIC)
- examines the potential for music therapy to reduce sedative requirements by reducing anxiety and agitation
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
- Substudy: Music and TV in Neurocritical Care (MATINEE)
- Survey of clinicians’ preferences in the use of music and television in the Neuro ICU
EMR Validation: Exploring the Reliability of Intracranial Pressure Data Abstracted from the Electronic Medical Record (VERDAD)
- compares the reliability of ICP data sampled during a 24-hour period using three recording methods: 1) pen and paper, 2) EMR, and 3) CDA
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
Patient-centered Research into Outcomes Stroke Patients Prefer and Effectiveness Research (PROSPER): Implementing the Patient-Driven Research Paradigm to Aid Decision Making in Stroke Care
- Enhance understanding of current outpatient treatment patterns, as well as the use of medications and programs that are predicted to lower risk of complications from stroke
- Funded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu
A Pilot Evaluation of an Education Program for Professional Development in Nursing (Language of data)
- Implement the Language of Data educational toolkit and to evaluate the feasibility of using the toolkit for education of nursing staff in the clinical setting
- Local PI: DaiWai Olson
- Local Coordinator: Sonja Stutzman sonja.stutzman@utsouthwestern.edu