Search Program

DescriptionDisparities of care and outcomes for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke among women remains a significant problem. Recent international consensus conversations have established the epidemiology of these disparities and strategies to improve stroke care and reduce these disparities. This session will feature the latest recommended strategies to advance stroke care in women worldwide.

Concurrent Session

Artificial Intelligence in Neurocritical Care: Enhancing Clinical Decision-Making, Communication, and Efficiency

2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionArtificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing neurocritical care, offering tools to improve decision-making, streamline communication, and optimize workflow efficiency. This session explores practical AI applications that enhance patient care while addressing the challenges of modern practice.

A key focus is AI-assisted clinical reasoning and differential diagnosis. AI-driven platforms analyze patient symptoms, histories, and diagnostics to generate ranked, evidence-based differentials, improving accuracy and reducing diagnostic uncertainty. These tools complement clinical expertise, refining patient assessments and fostering systematic decision-making.

Beyond clinical support, AI is transforming documentation and communication. Real-time transcription, automated summarization, and AI-assisted documentation ease record-keeping, allowing providers to focus on patient care. AI-driven email and report drafting further streamline interdisciplinary collaboration.

Additionally, AI-powered journal summarization helps clinicians rapidly distill complex research findings into actionable insights, supporting evidence-based practice. AI also enhances operational efficiency, transcribing meetings, summarizing discussions, and assisting in workflow organization to balance clinical, research, and administrative tasks.

While AI offers many benefits, its limitations must be acknowledged. This session addresses risks such as bias, automation errors, and ethical concerns, ensuring AI remains a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, clinical judgment.

Through real-world case studies, attendees will gain strategies to responsibly integrate AI into their practice, improving efficiency, diagnostic precision, and patient outcomes.

Concurrent Session

B-ICONIC Consensus for Non-Invasive Intracranial Pressure Monitoring and Management

11:00am - 11:20am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Global Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

DescriptionB-ICONIC is a consensus approach to monitoring and managing intracranial pressure in resource limited settings. The presentation will feature the international consensus approach with broad application to large segments of the world population. Application of this consensus approach has application in all countries.

Abstract

General Session

Bending the Arc: How Health Care Professionals Can Speak Up and Out for Change

8:15am - 9:15am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionDr. Altaf Saadi is a nationally recognized and award-winning neurologist whose work advances justice for immigrants, displaced populations, and justice-involved communities. She has exposed the harms of U.S. immigration detention and used her medical expertise to debunk law enforcement-propagated pseudoscience like “excited delirium” and highlight the medical dangers of carotid restraints and police dog attacks. Her work is grounded in collaboration with communities, and she has served as a medical expert for leading human and civil rights organizations, including Physicians for Human Rights, the ACLU, the National Immigrant Justice Center, Human Rights First, and Disability Rights California. She will share powerful firsthand stories—from inside U.S. immigration detention centers and beyond—exposing the human toll of inhumane policies. Through these accounts and her own personal journey, she will highlight the urgent need for physicians to use their expertise not only to heal in the clinic, but to speak out and advocate for the rights, dignity, and justice of the people and communities they serve.
The INCC Committee is proud to welcome Dr. Saadi as the INCC Keynote for the NCS 23rd Annual Meeting!

Concurrent Session

Beyond the Simulator: The Future of Assessing Simulation Education’s Impact on Patient Outcomes

8:20am - 8:40am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionSimulation-based education has revolutionized healthcare training, but the future of its assessment must go beyond self-efficacy surveys and knowledge-based tests. While learner confidence and skill acquisition are important, the true measure of simulation education’s effectiveness lies in its impact on patient outcomes. As healthcare evolves toward data-driven education, we must shift our research focus toward clinical metrics that directly assess improvements in patient care quality and safety. This talk will explore the next frontier in simulation education research—evaluating its real-world impact on patient outcomes. We will discuss an ongoing grant-funded study investigating whether simulation training leads to measurable improvements in clinical care, patient safety, and long-term healthcare quality. Preliminary data from this study will be shared, highlighting emerging trends and challenges in linking simulation training to patient-centered metrics. By moving beyond traditional assessment methods and focusing on patient-centered outcomes, we can refine simulation education to better serve both learners and the patients they ultimately care for.

Concurrent Session

Brain Resuscitation and Neuroprotection in Patients with ECPR

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionNeurologic injury is the leading cause of poor outcomes after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). This talk will review current data on neurologic outcomes, insights from translational models of cardiac arrest and reperfusion, and the role of targeted temperature management (TTM) in this high-risk population. Key principles of multimodal monitoring, prognostication, and bedside management will be highlighted, along with future directions in device-based neuroprotection and precision strategies. The goal is to reframe ECPR success not only as cardiac recovery, but as meaningful brain recovery.

Concurrent Session

Brain Slice: Neurosurgical Considerations in Obstetric Patients

2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis session will address unique topics never been discussed in NCS in the realm of Obstetrics and Neurocritical care. This includes a scoping review of physiologic changes that neurointensivists should know regarding obstetric patients, neurosurgical considerations in obstetric patients and lastly considerations on extracorporeal resuscitation and management for obstetric patients.

Moderator: Sarah Nelson (senelson13@gmail.com)

Talk 1: "Growing life, Changing systems: A neurointensivist's review of Physiologic changes in pregnancy
Speaker 1: Marie Baldisseri (baldisserimr@ccm.upmc.edu)

Talk 2: Brain Slice: neurosurgical considerations in obstetric patients
Speaker 2: Stephanie Einhaus (seinhaus@semmes-murphey.com)

Talk 3: Circulating hope: extracorporeal resuscitation and management considerations for neurocritically-ill obstetric patients
Speaker 3: Swarna Rajagopalan (rajagopalan-swarna@cooperhealth.edu)

Concurrent Session

Breaking the Brain Barrier: Unraveling Cerebral Microcirculatory Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in Sepsis and ARDS-associated Delirium

11:40am - 12:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

DescriptionSepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are systemic critical illnesses with profound effects on the brain, yet cerebral microcirculatory dysfunction and neuroinflammation remain underrecognized contributors to secondary brain injury and long-term cognitive impairment. Emerging evidence suggests that microvascular dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, and a maladaptive neuroinflammatory response play pivotal roles in exacerbating neuronal injury and driving poor neurologic outcomes in these patients.

This talk will explore the mechanistic interplay between sepsis, ARDS, and the brain, focusing on the pathophysiology of cerebral microcirculatory impairments and their impact on delirium, encephalopathy and functional recovery after these severe critical diseases. We will review current and emerging techniques to assess cerebral microvascular dysfunction in critically ill patients and highlight novel therapeutics aimed at restoring microcirculatory integrity and mitigating neuroinflammation. By bridging the gap between systemic critical illness and brain health, this session will provide an updated framework for understanding and managing secondary brain injury in sepsis and ARDS, ultimately improving long-term neurologic outcomes in these vulnerable populations.

Concurrent Session

Breathing Life into ECMO: Unraveling the Impact of Oxygen, CO2, and Pulse Pressure on Cerebral Microcirculation

11:20am - 11:40am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Advanced

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving intervention for patients with severe cardiac and respiratory failure, yet its impact on cerebral microcirculation remains incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that disturbances in oxygenation, carbon dioxide levels, and pulse pressure can significantly influence cerebral perfusion, contributing to secondary brain injury. This talk will explore the complex interplay between ECMO physiology and cerebral microcirculatory dysfunction, highlighting the pathophysiologic consequences of acute fluctuations in partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂), carbon dioxide (PaCO₂), and pulse pressure on cerebral blood flow regulation. We will discuss current methods for assessing cerebral microcirculatory disturbances in ECMO-supported patients, including advanced neuromonitoring techniques and imaging modalities. Additionally, we will review potential strategies to mitigate microcirculatory dysfunction and optimize cerebral perfusion in the ECMO setting. By deepening our understanding of these mechanisms, we can refine management approaches to minimize neurologic injury and improve outcomes in critically ill patients requiring ECMO.

Concurrent Session

Bridging the Gap: Innovations in Neurocritical Care for Low-Resource Settings

9:45am - 10:05am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Global Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionNeurological emergencies—such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), penetrating brain injury (PBI), stroke, and intracranial infections—pose significant challenges in low-resource environments, including military combat zones, disaster settings, and underserved regions worldwide. Delivering effective neurocritical care in these settings requires innovative, scalable, and pragmatic solutions. This talk will explore real-world case studies from combat medicine, humanitarian disaster response, and resource-limited hospitals, highlighting the barriers to care and lessons learned from managing neurocritical patients with limited infrastructure, equipment, and trained personnel.
Attendee will learn about battlefield-adapted innovations including portable ultrasound for intracranial pathology detection, intracranial pressure estimation, mobile EEG for seizure detection, and freeze-dried plasma combined with hypertonic saline for damage control resuscitation in PBI. The role of tele-neurocritical care consults and AI-powered decision support tools in guiding battlefield resuscitation and rural hospital triage will also be discussed.
We will also examine strategies for training non-specialists—such as combat medics, community health workers, and frontline providers—to perform critical neuroprotective interventions, hemorrhage control and low-tech airway interventions in the context of TBI and PBI. Successful models of collaboration, including military-civilian partnerships, Non-Government Organization-academic initiatives will be discussed, demonstrating how resource-conscious neurocritical care strategies can be scaled globally.
Last, this session will highlight key research gaps, policy implications, and advocacy efforts needed to drive sustainable improvements. By integrating evidence-based innovations with adaptive strategies, neurocritical care professionals can enhance patient outcomes in even the most challenging environments.

Concurrent Session

Bringing us All Together: The Creation of the NeuroRecovery Clinic Consortium

9:35am - 9:55am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

APPs

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionAs the field of neurocritical care advances, there is a growing recognition of the need for structured, multidisciplinary follow-up care for patients recovering from severe acute neurological injuries. This presentation will explore the creation of a post-NeuroICU clinic consortium, aimed at enhancing care coordination, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among NeuroRecovery Clinics.
First, we will review findings from the NeuroRecovery Clinic Landscape Survey Study, which provides critical insights into existing post-NeuroICU clinics, service availability, and barriers to implementation. These results highlight key gaps and areas for improvement in long-term neurorecovery care.

Next, we will discuss the benefits of developing a consortium to connect NeuroRecovery Clinics, including opportunities for standardized outcome tracking, shared best practices, and collaborative research initiatives. By fostering a network of clinics, we can improve patient access to specialized care, facilitate interdisciplinary communication, and advocate for systemic policy changes to support long-term neurorecovery.

Finally, we will explore future directions and opportunities for the consortium, including potential collaborations, data-sharing initiatives, and strategies to influence healthcare policy and funding. Attendees will gain insight into how they can contribute to and benefit from this emerging network, ultimately driving improvements in post-NeuroICU patient care and outcomes.

Concurrent Session

Building CRESCENT: Consortium for Research and Education in Simulation promoting Clinical Excellence in Neurology

8:00am - 8:20am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThe creation of a national consortium focused on advancing neurology education through simulation marks a significant step toward enhancing clinical training, patient safety, and the standardization of neurologic skills. The mission of CRESCENT is to enhance trainee competency, improve patient safety, and standardize the assessment of neurologic skills across the nation. By fostering a collaborative, multi-institutional approach, CRESCENT aims to create a robust framework for neurology education that spans clinical practice and simulation-based learning. In this talk, we will share the journey behind the creation of this consortium, the challenges we are facing, and the strategies used to build a sustainable model for advancing neurology education. We will also examine lessons learned from the creation of other successful medical education consortiums and discuss how these insights can inform the future of CRESCENT’s mission. These lessons will help us navigate obstacles, build strong partnerships, and streamline the integration of simulation into neurology curricula. By creating a collaborative space for knowledge sharing, resource development, and research, CRESCENT seeks to advance the quality of neurology training, ensuring that all trainees can perform at their highest level in a safe and supportive learning environment

Concurrent Session

Can We Harmonize Critical Care Training in the US - A Possibility or Fantasy?

9:45am - 10:05am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThe landscape of adult critical care training in the United States is marked by diverse pathways and differing expectations across institutions. This session will explore the historical evolution and current state of adult critical care education, highlighting the complexities and inconsistencies that challenge standardization.

Attendees will gain insight into recent efforts to define a consensus on the core knowledge and skills every adult intensivist should possess, including the collaborative processes and stakeholder engagement required to build such a framework. The session will also examine potential strategies for harmonizing training programs nationwide—ranging from curriculum alignment to accreditation reforms—and discuss whether a unified approach is achievable or remains an aspirational goal.

Concurrent Session

Co-survivorship after Acute Brain Injury: Long-term outcomes of surrogate decision makers.

3:05pm - 3:25pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionSevere acute brain injuries (SABI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortalities worldwide. In the acute setting, surrogate decision makers often have to make critical, time-sensitive decisions on behalf of their loved ones while faced with prognostic uncertainty. The long-term impacts of SABI on the well-being of SDM is insufficiently explored. In this talk, I present recent data exploring the experiences of SDM up to 24 months after SABI, including assessment of their mental health based on validated screening tools (and comparing mental health of SDM to independent, dependent, and deceased patients), qualitative data about their greatest challenges faced and exploration of modifiable barriers within the recovery journey. I also review findings from qualitative studies examining how families reflect back on decisions about continuation and/or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, and findings from recent studies examining decision aids. Last, I will summarize ongoing efforts (including the Curing Coma Campaing) to advocate for SDM, who are often overlooked and undersupported in our current healthcare systems.

Ancillary Meeting

Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery: Progress, Problems, and a Consortium

4:00pm - 6:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

DescriptionNeuroprognostication for disorders of consciousness critically influences whether life support is continued or withdrawn, but suffers from variability, inconsistent guideline adherence, and slow translation of research. We will review recent advances in the field of neuroprognostication and persistent challenges. We will then discuss the Consciousness Recovery and Prognostication Consortium, a collaborative initiative endorsed by the Neurocritical Care Society’s Curing Coma Campaign, which aims to overcome these challenges by promoting specialized neuroprognostication programs. Anyone interested in learning more about neuroprognostication, learning about the consortium, and/or joining the consortium are welcome to attend!

Ancillary Meeting

Curing Coma for the Practicing Clinician – Where Are We Going?

1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 520 BCEF

DescriptionJoin the Curing Coma Campaign Scientific Advisory Council as we discuss the current landscape and the future of the field. All NCS annual meeting attendees are welcome and encouraged to come, listen, and participate.

Speakers and topics include:
• David Fischer, U Penn - The Consciousness Prognostication and Recovery Consortium
• Jose Suarez, Johns Hopkins - Communicating about Coma with Intensivists: Proceedings from the Brussels Consciousness Roundtable
• Eric Rosenthal, Mass General - AI Implementation Science for Coma

(All are welcome, no RSVP or registration required; first hour talks, second hour discussion)

Concurrent Session

Current Ethical Issues in Neuro-Obstetric Care

1:30pm - 1:50pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Coma

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Residents

DescriptionMedical workers face unique ethical and legal challenges along with the medical challenges of caring for neurocritically ill pregnant patients. Little research exists in this area, and despite a need for guidance, many institutions lack definitive plans of care for these ethical dilemmas. This session will review the most pertinent ethical principles to the care of pregnant patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI). We will focus in particular on the concept of “duty of care” and parental autonomy in medical decision making. The session will examine the care of the brain dead/dead by neurological criteria (BD/DNC) pregnant patient, the ethical area of the most rigorous scrutiny. This will include a review of World Brain Death Project guidelines as well as obstetric considerations of fetal viability in a DNC patient. Finally, this section will review major open ethical questions in the care of the pregnant patient with SABI, with a special emphasis on the intersection of legal and ethical ramifications for the care of these patients, as well as the concept of incorporating shared decision-making for patients who may not have capacity to make complex decisions on their own. Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on their own local and institutional policies, or lack thereof, and consider how to better inform local or regional care practices upon conclusion of this session.

Concurrent Session

Data Driven Approach to Optimize Anti-seizure Treatment in Neurocritical Care

8:20am - 8:40am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Advanced

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionAnti-seizure medications (ASMs) are routinely prescribed in neurocritical for primary and secondary anti-seizure prophylaxis, and in patients with electrographic epileptiform activity (e.g. seizures, periodic and rhythmic patterns). The Neurocritical Care Society has published recent guidelines on anti-seizure prophylaxis in trauma and intracerebral hemorrhage, and demonstrate the low quality of evidence. Despite limited evidence on the risk:benefit trade off of ASMs, they are frequently prescribed in clinical practice and often continued long term.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine ASM safety and effectiveness are limited and infeasible. There are several limitations to RCTs including heterogeneous brain injuries with varying risks for seizures and electrographic (EEG) epileptiform activity. Several treatment approaches are employed in current clinical practice, and it is infeasible to conduct trials addressing each strategy.

This talk will review the utility of leveraging real-world data and combining the practice variation with novel causal inference methods to define safe and effective ASM treatment strategies. The talk will review the methods employed to build a multi center comprehensive linked clinical and neurophysiological dataset, with richly phenotyped clinical variables (e.g. daily measures of disease severity, short and long-term functional and cognitive outcomes) and extensively annotated raw EEG data. The talk will provide an overview of applying novel causal inference methods to this large dataset and estimate the comparative effectiveness of different ASM treatment strategies. These analytic techniques include target trial emulation and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling.

Concurrent Session

Defining and Ensuring Competency for Independent Practice in Brain Death Determination

9:35am - 9:55am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis talk will describe the first multi-center simulation curriculum to assess and improve competency in brain death / death by neurological criteria (BD/DNC) examination among the emerging neurology workforce. As part of this curriculum, we will have developed a simulation-based assessment of examination with content validity through a modified Delphi process and Mastery Angoff procedure. We will have assessed competence of neurology residents and neurocritical care fellows around the country in BD/DNC determination using that assessment. We will have utilized simulation-based mastery learning to achieve mastery-level competence in BD/DNC determination.

Concurrent Session

Delirium Assessment in Neurocritically Ill Patients

1:30pm - 1:50pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Delirium

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis talk aims to increase delirium awareness in neurocritical care settings while discussing strategies to assess for delirium in the presence of neurological deficits. This will include a comparison of existing delirium screening tools including the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC), and Fluctuating Mental Status Evaluation (FMSE), as well as challenges related to their implementation.

Abstract

General Session

Demographic, Clinical, and Neurocritical-Care-Related Characteristics of the First 1100 Patients in Influence of Cooling Duration on Efficacy in Cardiac Arrest Patients (ICECAP) Trial

11:15am - 11:37am EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Post-Cardiac Arrest

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Digital Twins to Guide Therapeutic Decisions in Management of TBI Patients

9:45am - 10:05am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis talk will explore the application of digital twin technology in the management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) within intensive care settings. The presentation will discuss how digital twins—comprehensive, dynamic virtual replicas of individual patients—may be created by integrating real-time data from various sources, including advanced neuroimaging, continuous physiological monitoring, and electronic health records. This rich data fusion can conceivably aid in the construction of a personalized model that mirrors the patient’s unique neurological and systemic responses. The session will also examine the technical challenges involved in maintaining data accuracy, managing complex computational algorithms, and ensuring patient privacy.
Attendees will gain insights into how this approach may transform decision-making in neurocritical care by providing a more precise, data-driven foundation for treatment planning.

Abstract

General Session

Early Blood Pressure Targets in Acute Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

11:37am - 12:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Spine Trauma

Pharmacists

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Early Identification of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Cerebral Vasospasm after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Through A Novel Dynamical Systems Approach

8:40am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Cristanne Wijman Young Investigator Award

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Early Melatonin Versus Placebo and Sleep Outcomes Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Hospitalization: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

9:55am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Traumatic Brain Injury

Pediatrics

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Electrophysiology for Prognostication in Pediatric DOC

1:50pm - 2:10pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Coma

Intermediate

Pediatrics NCCs

DescriptionThis talk will provide a comprehensive overview of the use of electrophysiological tests (electroencephalography, evoked potentials, etc.) to assist neuroprognostication in critically ill children with acute or chronic disorders of consciousness. This will summarize the relevant evidence and provide updates on cutting edge research occurring in this space internationally. Lastly, this talk will discuss gaps in the literature and suggest future directions for clinicians and researchers caring for children with DOC.

Concurrent Session

Emotional Elasticity: Building Resilience for Providers

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis presentation will review what can be done after an event. How can staff and administrators support, advocate and teach resiliency to facilitate recovery? Can we influence change?

Concurrent Session

Enhancing Safety and Quality: Transforming Neurocritical Care with Pharmacy Informatics Solutions

1:50pm - 2:10pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Residents

DescriptionIn this session, we will explore the transformative potential of pharmacy informatics in neurocritical care. As the complexity of neurocritical care evolves, integrating advanced informatics tools and technologies becomes increasingly vital. This talk aims to equip neurocritical care providers with the knowledge and strategies needed to harness these innovations effectively, with a strong focus on delivery, quality, and safety.

Participants will gain insights into the latest informatics tools and technologies that can significantly enhance safety within the neurocritical care unit. From electronic health records (EHRs) to clinical decision support systems (CDSS), we will explore how these tools can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and improve patient safety and quality of care.

We will discuss practical strategies for leveraging pharmacy informatics to improve patient outcomes in neurocritical care settings. This includes optimizing medication management, enhancing communication among healthcare teams, and utilizing data analytics to inform clinical decisions, all while ensuring high standards of delivery and safety.

The session will highlight real-world examples of pharmacy informatics solutions that have been successfully implemented at an institution. These case studies will illustrate the direct impact of informatics on patient care, showcasing improvements in medication accuracy, patient monitoring, and overall treatment efficacy, with a particular emphasis on maintaining quality and safety.

Concurrent Session

Exploring Barriers To Patient Care Progression In Neurocritical Care

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionEfficient patient care progression for hospitalized neurocritically ill patients can maximize patient outcomes, improve ICU and hospital length of stay and increase efficiency in resource utilization. Barriers to patient progression arise at every level starting with the initial acute phase, during transitions to lower inpatient level of care, and during discharge planning. Defining these barriers is a key step in developing data driven quality and process improvement interventions to optimize patient care progression in neurocritical care.

This talk will review novel approaches to explore barriers to patient care progression and design targeted interventions. These approaches include mixed methods analysis of data generated from weekly multidisciplinary patient care progression rounds at an academic center. Common barriers identified include medical complexity, goals of care decisions, nutritional needs, and insurance barriers. The session will provide an overview of how the most commonly identified barriers impact key quality and process metrics such as patient outcomes, length of stay, readmissions.

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

First in class, precision medicine for Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANRE)

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 518 A-C

DescriptionArialys Therapeutics has developed ART5803, a novel precision medicine, for the treatment of ANRE. This symposium will highlight the preclinical and clinical phase 1 progress.

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

From Coma to Clarity: The Art and Science of Neuroprognostication

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 519 AB

DescriptionDr. Fischer will describe a framework for reasoning through neuroprognostication in disorders of consciousness, reviewing key principles and the state of the field in prognostic testing.

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

From Evidence to Impact: How Ceribell is Transforming Point-of-Care EEG with AI

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 519 AB

DescriptionClinicians discuss clinical evidence and real-world impact of Ceribell's AI-powered EEG system for streamlined seizure triage and practical bedside use, while addressing AI evaluation complexities

Concurrent Session

Functional Neuroimaging for Predicting Outcomes in Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness

2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Coma

Intermediate

Pediatrics NCCs

DescriptionThis talk will begin with a description of the differences between structural and functional neuroimaging modalities focusing on the advantages of functional neuroimaging modalities. The talk will outline the principles of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), such as the hemodynamic response, neurovascular coupling, and the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal, and help the audience understand how information regarding regional brain activation and functional connectivity can be gathered from an fMRI scan. This will allow the audience to understand how fMRI can help detect covert cortical processing and covert consciousness.

Lastly, the talk will provide an overview of published (and ongoing) research that has investigated the prognostic potential of fMRI for pediatric disorders of consciousness (acute and chronic). This talk will conclude with a discussion of the implications for clinical practice and future directions for research in this space.

Concurrent Session

Genomics and Imaging for Precision Therapy of Stroke and Brain Injury

10:05am - 10:25am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis talk will discuss how the use of imaging biomarkers and genomic data can guide precision therapeutics and risk stratification for patients with various brain injuries and stroke. This will include measurement of cerebral edema and how collection/analysis of genetics can allow a greater understanding of the disease biology and risk prediction.

Concurrent Session

Global Barriers to Antiseizure Medications in Resource Limited Settings: Challenges and Solutions

10:25am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Global Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis session will explore trends globally in antiseizure medication (ASM) usage, availability, and accessibility in resource limited settings. It will highlight significant improvements in seizure freedom rates, shifts in ASM prescription patterns and the emerging role of 'newer' ASMs. Address the impact of polypharmacy on adverse effects and importance of tailoring ASM regimens to enhance therapeutic outcomes while mitigating toxicities.

Concurrent Session

Guidelines Selection, Development and Process Update

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis is the inaugural segment of three sessions curated by the Guidelines committee, outlining critical steps of guidelines development in the Neurocritical Care Society. This session will detail the refined process of selecting guideline topics, the development and critical review of PICOs, and the engagement of GUIDE methodologists for robust evidence evaluation. Details of the systematic oversight in the development of guidelines creation process, stages of reviews, and the integral oversight by the leadership. Furthermore, the session will also highlight the integral role played by the Neurocritical Care journal in the, various stages of the review process ensuring rigorous scientific merit and practice relevance. Notably, the session will also illuminate collaborative efforts across professional societies that enrich the scientific content and foster interdisciplinary perspectives. Finally, the session will focus on methods planned for disseminating guideline information effectively, ensuring broad accessibility and uptake among relevant stakeholders. The session will provide the audience with a transparent and detailed view of the processes involved in guidelines from its inception, development, critical review, and dissemination.

Concurrent Session

How Can We Optimize Our Critical Care Workforce to Address Shortages in Critical Care

10:05am - 10:25am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionAs demand for critical care services continues to rise, the U.S. faces a growing shortage of trained neurointensivists. This session will examine the current state of the critical care workforce, including trends in fellowship applications for both general and neurocritical care, and the impact of recent ACGME restrictions on staffing models—particularly in neuro ICUs.

We’ll explore the challenges posed by the shift from service-driven to education-focused fellowship structures, contrasting ACGME and UCNS accreditation standards. Additionally, the session will delve into the evolving role of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) as part of the solution, highlighting key issues in training, competency assessment, and the use of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to guide practice readiness.

Concurrent Session

ICU Violence is Real

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis presentation will review the current data on ICU violence, talk about why it occurs, how often, and institutional measures to reduce violence.

Concurrent Session

Implementation of Health Informatics Principles and Artificial Intelligence into Neurocritical Care Practice

1:30pm - 1:50pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Introductory

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis talk will introduce the audience to salient health informatics principles that can help optimize productivity in neurocritical care. This includes the integration of artificial intelligence in all aspects of clinical care. Operational management principles with examples of how to optimize processes will be discussed. The integration of Lean and Six Sigma principles into the clinical practice of neurocritical care will be discussed with consideration of multiple various practice environments in which participants practice neurocritical care. Statistical process control will be introduced with various control charts that can be used to monitor for improvement in processes that have a direct correlation with patient outcomes. This includes the development of control charts to assess if processes are in control or need to be enhanced. Pareto charts will be introduced as a method to identify the processes that are most in need of attention.

The integration of artificial intelligence into EMRs is an emerging field that will continue to grow. Audience will be introduced to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence including large language models such as ChatGPt into clinical documentation and clinical care.

Networking Event

INCC Section Happy Hour

5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th Terrasse Alize (Humaniti Hotel)

DescriptionJoin the INCC Section for a casual rooftop happy hour at the NCS Annual Meeting on Saturday from 5:00–7:00 p.m. ET at Terrasse Alizé, located atop the Humaniti Hotel, directly across from the Montréal Convention Centre. This outdoor event is open to all interested in inclusion in neurocritical care—whether you're part of the section or just curious. With sunny skies and temps in the 60s, we recommend bringing a jacket and enjoying the view. Questions? Reach out to Tommy Thomas (tommy.t.thomas@emory.edu) or Aimee Aysenne (aaysenne@tulane.edu).

Concurrent Session

Innovations and Challenges in Cerebral Autoregulation Measurement for Guiding Precision Medicine

8:40am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Innovations in Neuroimaging for Acute ICH: From Diagnosis to Prognostication

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionNeuroimaging plays a critical role in the acute assessment and management of ICH, influencing therapeutic decision-making and prognosis. Emerging imaging modalities such as quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and artificial intelligence-driven automated hemorrhage detection are enhancing our ability to assess hematoma expansion, perihematomal edema, and secondary injury. This session will review recent advancements in neuroimaging techniques, discuss their implications for precision medicine, and explore how they can be integrated into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.

Concurrent Session

Innovative Models for Physiological data Analysis (Using FM-WAVES: Foundation Models for Waveform Analysis and Visualization for Enhanced Signal processing)

8:00am - 8:20am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Advanced

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionHigh-frequency physiological data such as arterial blood pressure (ABP), electrocardiography (EKG), and intracranial pressure (ICP) contain rich information that remains underutilized in current clinical models in neurocritical care (NCC). Waveform analysis has become increasingly important in NCC settings providing valuable information about pathological states of a patient and outcomes. This talk surveys existing methods for waveform analysis in NCC and introduces foundation models for analyzing high-frequency data. Foundation models, which are pretrained on large and diverse datasets, can effectively integrate and analyze these high-frequency data to enhance performance for downstream tasks such as classification, representation of high-frequency data in embedding space, and non-invasive waveform derivation.
This talk explores how foundation models, pretrained on diverse physiological datasets, can enhance the analysis of these complex signals. Attendees will explore pretraining strategies, embedding spaces, and fine-tuning approaches enabling representations to generalize across diverse patient populations and clinical scenarios. Through two different use cases, attendees will gain insights into how foundation models can be adapted for a) ICP waveform analysis to detect subtle morphological changes in ICP pulse waveforms and b) non-invasive ICP estimation, demonstrating how similar architecture can be adapted for deriving non-invasive ICP. The talk highlights the potential of foundation models to improve the interpretation and analysis of physiological data in critical care, offering attendees insights into how these approaches can be adapted for more personalized clinical applications.

Concurrent Session

Integrating Neuroethics into AI Implementation Science in Neurocritical Care

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis presentation introduces the ethical considerations that are integral to responsibly implementing AI in neurocritical care. It will discuss the importance of incorporating neuroethics across the phases of AI deployment from design and validation to real-world application. Key topics include addressing fairness, ensuring transparency and accountability, regulatory barriers to deploying clinician-generated innovation in the ICU, and safeguarding patient rights. By examining ethical frameworks alongside technical standards, the talk demonstrates how proactive ethical deliberation can drive safer, more trustworthy AI implementation that align with clinical goals and patient care standards.

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Investigating Neurophysiology After Withdrawal of Life-sustaining Measures: Preliminary Findings from the NeuPART Study

8:20am - 8:40am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Top Scoring Abstract Award

Concurrent Session

Lessons from an Established Post-NeuroICU Clinic: Insights, Challenges, and Best Practices

9:15am - 9:35am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionAs post-NeuroICU care gains recognition as a critical component of neurorecovery, established post-NeuroICU clinics provide valuable models for improving long-term outcomes in patients recovering from severe acute neurological injuries. This presentation will explore the experience, structure, and impact of an established post-NeuroICU clinic, highlighting key successes, challenges, and best practices in multidisciplinary follow-up care.
We will begin by describing the clinic’s development and operational framework, including patient selection, care coordination, and the integration of neurology, rehabilitation, and mental health services. Data on patient outcomes, readmission rates, and quality-of-life improvements will be presented to illustrate the clinic’s impact.
Next, we will discuss challenges encountered in implementation and ongoing practice, such as patient adherence, resource limitations, and reimbursement barriers. Strategies for overcoming these obstacles and optimizing workflow efficiency will be explored.
Finally, we will highlight key lessons learned that can inform the development of new post-NeuroICU clinics and future directions for expanding neurorecovery care. Attendees will gain insights into the practical considerations of running a post-NeuroICU clinic and strategies for enhancing long-term patient care.

Concurrent Session

Leveraging Digital Tools in Neurocritical Care Education: Enhancing Teaching and Learner Engagement

8:40am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionIn the fast-paced and high-stakes environment of neurocritical care, clinician-educators must leverage digital tools to enhance teaching, improve efficiency, and expand their educational impact. This session will provide a structured approach to integrating technology into neurocritical care education, offering practical strategies to optimize both bedside and asynchronous learning. The talk will begin by introducing a framework for incorporating digital tools into educational practices, focusing on methods that align with the demands of neurocritical care training. Participants will explore real-time digital tools such as Padlet, OpenEvidence, NoteBookLM AI which can enhance bedside teaching, facilitate case-based discussions, and promote collaborative learning in the ICU. Then we will delve into strategies for extending education beyond the clinical day, using asynchronous platforms like social media, podcasts, and video content to reinforce key neurocritical care concepts, engage learners, and create enduring educational resources. By the end of the session, attendees will leave with a curated digital toolkit that can be immediately implemented within their institutions, ensuring that technology enhances, rather than complicates, their roles as neurocritical care educators.

Workshop

Making ENLS Simulation a Reality: Practical Strategies for Any Institution

1:00pm - 5:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 519 B

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionSimulation-based training is a powerful tool for improving team performance and patient outcomes in neurocritical care. Recognizing simulation’s ability to engage learners and promote learning retention, ENLS 6.0 includes a novel accompanying simulation curriculum which can be deployed in any hospital to encourage hands-on engagement and practice with ENLS material. However, although many clinical educators are eager to incorporate simulation, literature in neurology and critical care has identified several barriers to using simulation including lack of faculty expertise with conducting simulations and leading the debriefing processes that follows a simulation experience. Debriefing is a vital component of simulation-based learning, yet its importance is often overlooked. Effective debriefing fosters a psychologically safe environment, enabling participants to critically reflect on their experience, identify key insights, and develop actionable plans to enhance their future performance. This workshop is aimed to prepare educators and instructors to effectively implement ENLS simulation for their training programs, with a focus on core debriefing strategies.
Participants will explore several widely used debriefing frameworks, including "Debriefing with Good Judgment," and will gain practical tools for selecting and adapting techniques to different learner needs and institutional contexts. Participants will engage in interactive role-playing and peer feedback exercises specifically targeted at developing skills to manage challenging debriefing scenarios effectively. This session will provide insights into best practices for facilitating reflective discussions and addressing various challenges in debriefing, including navigating interactions with difficult learners, challenging debriefers, and co-debriefing scenarios. This hands-on practice will ensure that attendees leave equipped with the tools to foster an effective learning environment and enhance the educational impact of their simulation sessions.
The workshop will also address practical strategies for leveraging existing resources, conducting high-quality simulations in low-resource settings, and engaging interprofessional teams in ENLS training. By the end of this session, participants will leave with actionable strategies and resources to implement ENLS simulation at their institutions, with a focus on effective debriefing practices.

Concurrent Session

Measuring Trust in AI Coma Recovery Models via Simulation

3:05pm - 3:25pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis presentation focuses on the development and evaluation of AI models designed to predict coma recovery outcomes. Using advanced simulation techniques and applying the NIH Assurance Lab framework, the audience will learn about efforts to assess the level of trust that clinicians, families, and surrogates place in AI-driven predictions. The talk will cover the design of simulation environments that mimic real-world neurocritical care scenarios, discuss metrics for quantifying trust and model reliability, and highlight how ethical considerations, such as transparency and fairness, are woven into these assessments.

Workshop

Mechanical Ventilation for the Neurocritical Care Provider

8:00am - 12:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 518 A-C

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionMechanical ventilation is a cornerstone of modern life support and a core competency of neurocritical care. This is a half-day introductory course will provide the fundamentals of mechanical ventilation using hands-on and simulator-based sessions. Brief interactive lectures will complement case-based sessions covering basic respiratory physiology, the application, monitoring and troubleshooting of mechanical ventilation, patient-ventilator interactions, and weaning and liberation. Context-specific considerations such as ventilation in brain injury, spinal cord injury and ARDS will also be discussed.
This is an introductory course. Ideal attendees are fellows, physicians, advanced practice providers or nurses who want to acquire fundamental and detailed knowledge of the basic provision of mechanical ventilation in neurocritical care. Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to: 1.Describe respiratory physiology relevant to the application of mechanical ventilation and positive end-expiratory pressure2. Interpret basic pressure, flow and volume waveforms and other measurements (e.g. Peak pressure plateau pressure and compliance) during mechanical ventilation3. Apply, understand and troubleshoot the basic mechanical ventilation modes (pressure-control, volume-control and pressure support)4. Recognize and initial troubleshooting of patient-ventilator dyssynchrony5. Describe best practices for mechanical ventilation in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome6. Describe the special considerations in providing mechanical ventilation for patients with acute brain injuries and spinal cord injuries

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Multicenter Development and Validation of a Robust, Quantifiable, Spatiotemporally Specific, and Accessible Biomarker of Cortical Spreading Depolarization Employing Noninvasive Electroencephalography (EEG)

8:00am - 8:20am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Best Science Abstract Award

Concurrent Session

Nasal anti-CD3 to Improve Outcomes After TBI

1:30pm - 1:50pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionTraumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. While current treatment strategies focus on early surgical intervention and supportive care, there are no effective pharmacological therapies to prevent chronic cognitive and neurological complications. TBI triggers both a primary mechanical injury and a secondary wave of neuroinflammation, which has been strongly linked to worsening outcomes. One of the major barriers to developing new therapies has been the lack of safe and effective immunomodulatory strategies capable of targeting microglial-driven inflammation. Recent research highlights the mucosal immune system as a promising target for inducing regulatory T cells (Tregs)—key cells that suppress microglial inflammation. Our preclinical studies demonstrate that nasal anti-CD3—a novel, non-invasive immunomodulatory therapy—induces immune tolerance, reduces CNS inflammation, and improves long-term behavioral outcomes after TBI. This strategy is highly translatable, as a fully humanized nasal anti-CD3 antibody (Foralumab) has already been tested safely in healthy volunteers and has shown encouraging results in pilot studies of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and COVID-19. These findings provide a strong foundation for advancing nasal anti-CD3 therapy toward clinical trials in patients with TBI.

General Session

NCS Leadership Closing Panel – Help Us Envision the Future of the Society

10:30am - 12:00pm EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionJoin the NCS Officers during the closing session for a panel discussion. The NCS Officers will be discussing and sharing their vision and plans for NCS in the future. This panel discussion will include a substantial amount of time for Q & A with the audience and NCS members, so be sure to join us live for an opportunity to discuss your burning questions directly with NCS Leadership!

Concurrent Session

Neurocritical Care as a Moral Community: Fulfilling our Obligations to our Patients and Each Other

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis session, led by a neurocritical care clinician with experience in ethics and moral distress consultation, will review the concept of moral community and the importance of building moral community to support ethical decision-making for patients and well-being for clinicians. The neurocritical care unit (NCCU) is a high-intensity environment with complex ethical challenges. The events leading to NCCU admission are often sudden, unexpected, and impact the patient’s ability to participate in shared decision-making. The limits of neuroprognostication leave surrogates and clinicians to navigate uncertain waters. This complex environment increases the potential for ethical conflict and heightens the importance of moral community. A moral community is characterized by a group of individuals with a shared common moral goal, such as providing high-quality, patient- and family-centered, preference-sensitive care. Within a moral community, team members recognize the impact of their actions not only on patients and families, but also on other clinicians of all disciplines and professions. Open communication, respect for different perspectives, managing conflict, and support for each other are characteristics of a moral community. Every neurocritical care clinician has an obligation to contribute to the sense of moral community in their practice setting. By doing so, we improve the care provided to patients and their families and lessen the burden of ethical conflict on clinicians.

Concurrent Session

Neurocritical Care, Neuroprotection, and Recovery of Consciousness in the Arctic Ground Squirrel

3:05pm - 3:25pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThe talk explores how Arctic ground squirrels (AGS) achieve extreme metabolic suppression during hibernation, offering insights into neuroprotection and recovery mechanisms with potential applications in human neurocritical care. Key mechanisms include resistance to oxidative stress (peroxynitrite and lipid peroxidation), neuro-regenerative capacity in response to stress, and temperature-dependent protection. Hibernation in AGS is driven by endogenous circannual rhythms and adenosine A1 receptor sensitivity, which regulates thermogenesis, peripheral vasoconstriction (to optimize cerebral perfusion pressure), and autonomic nervous system activity (PNS dominance during torpor entry, SNS activation at arousal onset). These adaptations enable extreme metabolic suppression while maintaining recoverable consciousness, providing a model for studying coma recovery and advancing tools for temperature management.

Concurrent Session

Neuromodulation for Recovery of Consciousness from Anesthesia

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionIn current clinical practice, emergence from general anesthesia is treated as a passive process dictated by the pharmacokinetics of drug clearance. Although anesthetic emergence is associated with various clinical challenges, there are no commercially available agents to reverse anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. However, recent studies demonstrate that consciousness may be restored in anesthetized animals by activating subcortical neural circuits involved in arousal. These studies suggest that similar approaches may be used to treat disorders of consciousness due to brain injury.

Concurrent Session

Non-Invasive Neuromonitoring: Bringing Critical Care to the Bedside for Maternal and Fetal Brain Health

1:50pm - 2:10pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Residents

DescriptionNon-invasive neuromonitoring has transformed neurocritical care, offering cost-effective, real-time detection of cerebral abnormalities and immediate insights into neurological status. Tools like electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial Doppler (TCD) are now essential in neurocritical care, enabling early identification of seizures, ischemic changes, or compromised cerebral circulation. Recent guidelines in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (Hoh, 2023) emphasize continuous EEG monitoring to detect early brain injury and guide clinical interventions. Similarly, TCD is increasingly used to assess cerebral blood flow and identify early signs of ischemia, guiding management in critically ill patients.

These advances are directly applicable to pregnancy care, particularly in high-risk maternal conditions such as preeclampsia, eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and peripartum stroke. Non-invasive techniques provide real-time, actionable insights into maternal brain health, aiding clinicians in decisions about early delivery, antihypertensive therapy, and neuroprotective measures.

At the end of the session, attendees will recognize the importance of incorporating neurocritical care principles early in the management of high-risk pregnant patients, using non-invasive neuromonitoring practices to improve decision-making and improve maternal and fetal outcomes.

Concurrent Session

Novel Therapies for Perihematomal Edema in Preclinical ICH

2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionIntracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) triggers a robust inflammatory cascade, with neutrophils playing a central role in secondary brain injury. A novel subset of neutrophils expressing dual endothelin-1/signal peptide receptor (DEspR) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. In this talk, I will introduce DEspR-positive neutrophils and describe how they were identified and implicated in the pathophysiology of spontaneous ICH. I will review mechanistic insights into their contribution to brain injury, ongoing studies evaluating their utility as a longitudinal biomarker, and early-phase investigations into the safety and efficacy of a humanized anti-DEspR antibody. This work highlights a promising immunomodulatory strategy aimed at improving outcomes in ICH.

General Session

Opening Keynote: My Stroke of Insight

8:00am - 9:45am EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

DescriptionDr. Jill Bolte Taylor grew up to study the brain because one of her brothers was diagnosed with schizophrenia. At the age of 37, while teaching and performing research at Harvard Medical School as a neuroscientist herself, an undiagnosed arteriovenous malformation ruptured in the left half of her brain. In the course of four hours, she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Following a craniotomy and treatment of the AVM, including a stay in the Neurocritical Care Unit, it took eight years for Dr. Taylor to rebuild her neuro-circuits from the inside out. Her memoir My Stroke of Insight spent 63 weeks on The NY Times bestseller list, and she will share with us My Stroke of Insight as our opening keynote plenary.

Concurrent Session

Optimizing Pharmacotherapy for Delirium in Neurocritical Care

1:50pm - 2:10pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Delirium

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis talk focuses on optimizing pharmacotherapy for delirium in neurocritical care settings. We will begin by reviewing the medications that can cause delirium in neurocritically ill patients, emphasizing that these drugs are frequently used in this population. Next, we will examine the evidence available for both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic options for the treatment and prevention of delirium, highlighting the most effective strategies. Additionally, we will discuss common adverse events associated with pharmacotherapy options and the necessary monitoring requirements to ensure patient safety.

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Optimizing the Management of Blood Pressure in Acute Cerebrovascular Emergencies

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 518 A-C

DescriptionExperts will describe best practices for blood pressure (BP) management in ischemic stroke and ICH patients through state-of-the-art lectures and “real-world” case presentations.

Concurrent Session

Organ Support in the Brain Dead Patient: International Perspectives

11:20am - 11:40am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Global Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

DescriptionOrgan support for brain dead patients is a crucial skill set for neurointensive care practitioners. International practice patterns vary but may inform the biology of optimal organ support with wide-ranging implications for best practice across many countries and practice settings. Consensus approach to organ support has been recently reviewed in India and will be described, and contrasted with out international practice recommendations.

Concurrent Session

Panel Discussion: Sharing a Vision for the Future of Critical Care Collaborations

10:25am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionIn an increasingly interconnected healthcare landscape, collaboration among professional societies is more important than ever. This session will explore the current state of inter-societal collaboration in critical care—how it happens, what drives it, and the forms it can take. We’ll examine the strategic purposes these partnerships can serve, from advancing education and research to shaping policy and improving patient outcomes.

Through an open and forward-looking discussion, we’ll imagine what collaboration could look like if existing constraints—such as competition, resource limitations, or structural silos—were removed. We’ll also consider the potential downsides of collaboration and how to navigate them thoughtfully. This interactive session will include audience input on the value of collaboration. Come ready to share your vision and help shape the future of critical care collaboration!

Concurrent Session

Parallel Implementation Strategies for a Continuous Monitoring Tool for DCI (COSMIC)

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Intermediate

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis presentation will detail three parallel streams of work driving the implementation of the COSMIC DCI prediction model in neurocritical care. 1) Silent Clinical Validation of a model’s predictive accuracy in a real-world clinical setting without disrupting standard care for fine-tuning and improving the model’s performance. 2. User-Centered Design via deep one-on-one interviews to inform prototypes of a clinical decision support interface refined through broader role-specific focus groups with iterative cycles. 3. Simulated Case-Based Evaluation via software development toward an immersive, simulated, case-based evaluation platform to assess factors influencing adoption and safety.

Concurrent Session

Pharmacist Role in Brain Death Determination

9:55am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

Pharmacists

DescriptionPharmacists have not been formally included in brain death determination procedures but are starting to be consulted to evaluate medications that may confound brain death testing or neurological examinations. Drug clearance of sedatives, narcotics, and paralytics in critically ill patients may be affected by renal or hepatic injury, drug interactions, and disease states. Pharmacists are able to provide an estimation of when a drug will be cleared to an appropriate concentration that would reasonably not interfere with brain death testing. Pharmacists may also inform on appropriate use of reversal agents in the setting of brain death determination. Special circumstances that may warrant pharmacy input include CRRT or ECMO therapy, drug overdose, or potential for organ procurement. This talk will explore pharmacist considerations, challenges, and potential role in brain death determination.

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Physical and Occupational Therapy in the ICU for Patients with Cognitive Motor Dissociation

9:35am - 9:55am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Coma

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Precision Biomarkers in ICH: Bridging Research and Clinical Practice

3:05pm - 3:25pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionIntracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains one of the most devastating forms of stroke, with high mortality and limited targeted therapies. Recent advancements in biomarker research hold promise for improving prognostication, guiding treatment decisions, and enabling precision medicine approaches. This session will explore the latest developments in ICH biomarkers, including inflammatory markers, blood-brain barrier integrity indicators, and genetic predictors. We will also discuss the challenges of translating these findings into clinical practice and ongoing efforts in biomarker-driven clinical trials.

Concurrent Session

Precision Perfusion: Autoregulation-Guided Therapy in Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke

10:25am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionAs neurocritical care evolves, precision medicine approaches are redefining treatment paradigms for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Cerebral perfusion pressure optimization (CPPopt), guided by real-time autoregulation monitoring, offers a personalized strategy to maintain cerebral blood flow and prevent secondary injury. This presentation will explore the integration of autoregulation-based metrics into clinical decision-making, bridging the gap between physiological data and individualized therapeutic targets. Attendees will gain insight into emerging technologies, clinical applications, and future directions in precision guided neurocritical care.

Concurrent Session

Preclinical Models of Inflammation in SAH

1:50pm - 2:10pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionWith the realization that decreasing angiographic vasospasm does not improve outcomes in SAH, a new target must be found. In our talk we discuss the role of inflammation and the white blood cells that propagate it. Not all inflammation is bad and the body has ways to limit inflammation. Here we discuss one of those mechanisms in SAH.

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Pressure, Volume, and Flow: Filling in the Missing Piece of Brain Physiology in Multimodality Neuromonitoring

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 524 A-C

DescriptionCerebral blood flow monitoring is a key to interpreting multimodality neuromonitoring and understanding the secondary pathophysiologies that develop after severe acute brain injury.

Workshop

Pupillometry and B4C, non-invasive neuromontoring assessments, in Neurocritical Patients: Clinical Cases

8:00am - 12:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 519 B

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Intermediate

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionThe early detection of symptoms in patients having acute neurological injuries is always a challenge. Globally, the clinical assessment of Intracraneal Pressure (ICP) in Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) is inconsistent and prone to limitations in resources and clinical thoughts. In unmonotoring situations, it exists no real published algorithm in order to identify and treat the suspicion of intracraneal hypertension (IH) besides the ad-hoc clinical assessment and imaging from the Benchmark Evidence from South American Trials: Treatment of Intracraneal Pressure Study (BEST:TRIP), as described by CREVICE. Pupil size and ICP is fundamental in the assessment of TBI patients as they clinically assess the integrity of the brainstem and excitement centers in the brain. The most used assessment method is by inserting a catheter, which represents 82% of published studies (92). The second most used method is PbtO2 which is 63% of studies (71). Svj2 was only applied in 6 studies (5.4%) which is not found in devices in many institutions. Pupil size and the assessment of reactivity are indicators of crucial clinical prognosis in injury evolution, as described in the ORANGE and B4C studies - B4C sensors evaluate the morphology of IPC waves describing hemodynamic changes. Therefore, we consider monitoring non-invasives methods and techniques that are greatly helpful in the assessment of bedside neurological patients. The objective of this workshop is to share the uses and applications of pupillometry and B4C devices, based on our expertise, with nurses, trainees, fellows and rest of healthcare professionals, focusing on bedside patient routines, data analysis, and decision-making. Analytical methods of these devices will be explained as well as how to make proper interpretation of system outputs. Likewise, clinical cases will be presented in order to encourage discussion among attendees on different neurological disorders and their assessment with these mentioned devices. Additionally, a hands-on activity will be implemented to go over the apropriate manipulations of these devices. Lastly, a Q&A session will be made.

Concurrent Session

Resilience in Neurocritical Care Research: Adapting to NIH Funding Cuts and Beyond

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Residents

DescriptionJoin the Science of Neurocritical Care Track Co-Chair, Dr. Shraddha Mainali, along with leaders in the field leaders from the NIH, Industry, Neurocritical Care Research Central and the Neurocritical Care Foundation to share perspectives on the evolving landscape of research funding. Each speaker will give a brief update on their institutions funding status, followed by a full panel discussion exploring the impact of recent NIH funding cuts, explore alternate funding sources, and strategies to empower junior researchers in the field.

Abstract

General Session

Safety and Tolerability of GTX-104 (Nimodipine Injection for IV Infusion) Compared with Oral Nimodipine in Patients With Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: a Prospective, Randomized Trial

10:52am - 11:15am EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Sedation, Cognition, and Chaos: Understanding Delirium in the Critically Ill

2:10pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Delirium

Intermediate

Pharmacists

Residents

DescriptionDelirium in critical illness is a complex syndrome associated with adverse patient outcomes, prolonged hospital stays, cognitive dysfunction, and increased mortality. Effective management of delirium relies heavily on accurate diagnosis, an understanding of its underlying pathophysiology, and optimized sedation practices. Yet, significant variability in diagnosis and sedation approaches persists globally, especially in resource-constrained settings.

In this session, participants will explore the critical link between sedation practices and the emergence of delirium, emphasizing recent advancements in our understanding of delirium pathophysiology, including neuroinflammation, neurotransmitter imbalances, and disrupted neuronal connectivity. Attendees will critically evaluate current diagnostic tools such as CAM-ICU and ICDSC, examining their reliability, limitations, and practical applicability across diverse healthcare environments.

Building upon original research and clinical experiences, this talk will address sedation-induced delirium, the risks associated with deep sedation, and practical strategies for lighter sedation practices to minimize delirium incidence. The session will further highlight the challenges encountered in implementing standardized delirium protocols internationally, offering insights into pragmatic and context-specific solutions.

By combining pathophysiologic insights, diagnostic clarity, and sedation strategies, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of delirium management tailored to their clinical realities, ultimately fostering improved patient care and cognitive outcomes.

Concurrent Session

Session 2: Antithrombotic reversal after Intracranial Hemorrhage: An Update.

3:05pm - 3:25pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis is the second segment of three sessions curated by the NCS Guidelines Committee, outlining the PICOS and methodology for the upcoming “Treatment of Antithrombotic-Associated Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Focused Guideline Update From the Neurocritical Care Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.”
This session will be presented by writing panel co-chair, Dr. Meghan Caylor Vallejo, PharmD, BCCCP. Dr. Vallejo will detail the selected PICOs, the scientific literature evaluation methodology, challenges encountered during the process, and finally, the nuances involved in the obtaining the evidence. This session will also cover challenges faced during the process and how the group performed meticulous analyses of the PICOs to ensure relevance and applicability. Methodological insights showing scientific rigor to ensure credibility will also be presented.

Please note: the final recommendations for this guideline will be presented in a joint webinar event with the Society of Critical Care Medicine. This webinar event is slated to take place by the end of the year. A save the date will be shared with attendees of the live session at the NCS 23rd Annual Meeting.

Concurrent Session

Session 3: Tele Neurocritical Care Consensus statement.

3:25pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionThis is the third segment of three sessions curated by the Guidelines committee, outlining consensus in the delivery of Tele Neurocritical Care. This session will detail the refined process of Tele Neurocritical Care standards in thirteen fundamental components including models of TNCC, organization within the healthcare system, required and optional structural elements, staffing and engagement of qualified multidisciplinary teams, clinical roles and operational responsibilities for specific provider types, activation and communication, afterhours and anticipatory guidance, regulatory and credentialing, finance, pharmacy, quality, and outcomes.

This talk will be delivered by Drs. Bart Deamerschalk and Nick Murray, the co-chairs of the Tele Neurocritical Care Consensus statement group.

Concurrent Session

Simulation Based Mastery Learning to Improve Performance of Declaration of Death by Neurologic Criteria – A Randomized Pilot

9:15am - 9:35am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionDeath by neurologic criteria (DNC) is a low-frequency, high-stakes diagnosis that some trainees never encounter in their clinical experience. It is our hypothesis that simulation based mastery learning is a simulation training paradigm that can be used to achieve confidence and competence in the DNC exam.
This randomized pilot study investigated the competence and self-confidence of trainees in performing death by neurologic criteria (DNC) determination by comparing an online self-study curriculum versus a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum. Participants underwent a pre-test survey, written exam, and DNC simulation exercise followed by either self-study curriculum alone or self-study curriculum plus intentional practice. All participants completed a post-test survey, written exam, and DNC simulation exercise. A minimum passing standard was set, and all participants in the SBML group repeated their post-test simulation until meeting 100% competence.
Pre-test written exam scores were 6.4 ± 1.5 (5-9) for the control group and 5.0 ± 1.0 (4-6) for the SBML group. Both groups showed trends to post-test improvement: 7.8 ± 1.3 (6-9) and 7.7 ± 0.6 (7-8) respectively. Baseline simulation performance was similar between groups: 11.2 ± 2.2 (8-14) (control) and 13.3 ± 6.4 (6-18) (SBML). Post-test simulation performance trended to greater improvement in the SBML group, 24.7 ± 1.5 (23-26), compared to controls, 18.4 ± 0.9 (17-19).
While independent study improved written exam scores, it only minimally improved performance of the simulated DNC examination itself. In preliminary findings from this pilot study, simulation based mastery learning appeared to improve performance of the DNC exam.

Concurrent Session

Supporting the Support System: Assessing and Addressing Family & Caregiver Needs in Post-ICU Neurorecovery Clinics

9:55am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DescriptionFamilies and caregivers of patients recovering from neurological impairment face unique challenges that are often more complex than those in other post-ICU settings. Cognitive, behavioral, and emotional changes in patients require ongoing advocacy, education, and hands-on training for caregivers, yet these needs are frequently underrecognized. Unlike recovery from critical illness without neurological impact, neurorecovery places a long-term burden on families, affecting their emotional well-being, financial stability, and overall quality of life. This talk will focus on assessing caregiver needs in post-ICU neurorecovery clinics and the role these clinics play in supporting and equipping them. We will review validated to measure caregiver burden and preparedness. Additionally, we will explore where current support systems fall short, including gaps in structured education, emotional support, and respite resources. By integrating standardized caregiver assessments, structured training programs, and advocacy initiatives into neurorecovery clinics, we can improve both patient and caregiver outcomes. Addressing caregiver needs is not just an ethical obligation but also a necessary step in ensuring long-term recovery success. This talk is a call to action and will provide adapted strategies to enhance caregiver support, including education programs, improved access to resources, and advocacy efforts to better meet the needs of those caring for neurologically impaired patients.

Concurrent Session

Sustainable Neurocritical Care: Lessons from Resource-Limited Settings for Greener Healthcare

10:05am - 10:25am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Global Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

APPs

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Residents

DescriptionHealthcare is a significant contributor to environmental harm, with intensive care units among the most resource-intensive areas in hospitals. Neurocritical care, with its reliance on advanced imaging, single-use devices, and high-energy consumption, has a substantial environmental footprint. In resource-limited settings, however, necessity has driven innovative, low-waste, and sustainable approaches to acute neurological care. This talk will explore how neurocritical care can integrate environmental consciousness without compromising patient outcomes.

We will examine strategies employed in resource-limited settings across South Asia and Africa, such as reusing medical equipment safely, minimizing pharmaceutical waste, and prioritizing cost-effective, high-value interventions. By analyzing these approaches, we will discuss how high-resource healthcare systems can adopt sustainable practices, including reducing unnecessary testing, optimizing medication use, and implementing green ICU initiatives.

Attendees will gain insights into practical strategies for reducing neurocritical care’s environmental impact while maintaining high-quality patient care. This session will highlight the role intensivists can play in promoting sustainable healthcare and discuss the ethical imperative of reducing healthcare’s carbon footprint.

Workshop

The 2025 Informatics, Big Data, and AI Workshop

1:00pm - 5:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 516 AB

Informatics and Artificial Intelligence

Introductory

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionThis workshop is an extension of a long-running webinar series called "Case Studies in Neurocritical Care AI." Designed for clinicians aiming to harness the full potential of neurocritical care data, this workshop includes real-world case studies from the broader research community. Whether you're an AI and data analytics novice or you’re looking to deepen your expertise, this workshop will provide practical insights and tools to tackle challenges with neurocritical care data. No prior programming experience is needed. Using interactive and collaborative Python Jupyter notebooks, we will walk workshop participants through a comprehensive suite of relevant neurocritical care analyses. This includes, but is not limited to, notebooks for 1) patient metadata access and harmonization, 2) data formats, conversion, and plotting, 3) data cleaning, regulatory and compliance, 4) cerebral autoregulation analysis, and 5) visualization and modeling. The following data sets available on the Moberg Cloud Platform will provide de-identified clinical neuromonitoring data for this workshop: Brain Oxygen Optimization in Severe TBI, Phase 2 (BOOST2) Repository (n=114) Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) ICU Cohort (n=124) Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Post-cardiac Arrest Repository (n=62) University of Pennsylvania Severe TBI Repository (n=164) Attendees also have the option to bring their own data sets (in supported formats) that they can upload to the platform for temporary access during and after the workshop. Through this workshop, we aim to equip clinicians with the necessary skills to leverage big data, foster a deeper understanding of data handling techniques specific to neurocritical care scenarios, create a collaborative learning environment where participants can share insights and best practices with colleagues, and empower clinicians to address their own neurocritical care data challenges confidently and efficiently.

Abstract

General Session

The SAHaRA RCT Trial Results

10:30am - 10:52am EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Pharmacists

Abstract

General Session

Toward Equitable Care after Cardiac Arrest: The Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Insurance on Outcome at Two Safety Net Hospitals

8:00am - 8:15am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Post-Cardiac Arrest

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

DEI Abstract Award Winner

Concurrent Session

Transfusion Medicine and Intracerebral Hemorrhage

11:20am - 11:40am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis discussion will review current guideline-based recommendations for platelet and red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the setting of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), limitations in these practices, and emerging evidence for alternative transfusion approaches that may improve ICH care.

Evidence for platelet transfusion use both in the setting and absence of neurosurgical intervention will be discussed. And discussions will be focused on how platelet transfusion practices (cryopreserved platelets, ABO incompatible platelet units) may have impacted the results of these studies and what this means for future studies and clinical practice for platelet transfusions.

Evidence for liberal RBC transfusion approaches in ICH treatment paradigms will separately be discussed. Results from the recently published TRAIN trial will be overviewed in addition to findings from the HEMOTION and SAHARA trial to demonstrate limitations over generalizability of efficacy of liberal RBC transfusion practices in acute brain injury/ICH. Discussion will be focused on how RBC transfusion efficacy varies significantly based on RBC transfusion characteristics as well as donor/recipient characteristics, which could be relevant for varying transfusion efficacies noted in prior studies.

In summary, the discussion will provide context on how improving transfusion medicine approaches for both platelet units and RBC transfusions can potentially have impacts on improving ICH outcomes.

Concurrent Session

Transfusion Strategies in Brain Injured Patients

11:00am - 11:20am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Global Neurocritical Care

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionThis talk will provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current literature in this field. It will begin with an overview of the role of hemoglobin in the pathophysiology and management of acute brain injury, highlighting its implications for cerebral oxygen delivery and patient outcomes. This will be followed by an in-depth discussion of transfusion strategies, focusing on the findings and clinical relevance of the three recently published randomized controlled trials in this area. Finally, the speaker will offer a critical appraisal of the existing evidence, addressing current gaps in knowledge and controversies, and propose practical recommendations on how the results of these studies can be effectively integrated into clinical practice.

Workshop

Ultrasound Workshop

8:00am - 3:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 516 CD

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionThis hands-on course is designed to introduce participants to image acquisition methods, ultrasound techniques, and clinical applications of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in neurocritical care. The workshop employs an interactive format, blending concise didactic sessions with practical, hands-on ultrasound skill stations. Under the guidance of expert faculty experienced in medical education, participants will immediately apply the concepts learned during the didactic sessions. Key topics include: · Principles of ultrasound image capture and troubleshooting techniques for high-quality imaging · Clinical applications of echocardiography and cardiac ultrasound, including its use in assessing volume status · Introduction to transcranial ultrasound and pathology By the end of the session, participants will gain the skills needed to perform focused heart and transcranial ultrasound for evaluating shock or acute neurological decline. This workshop is ideal for clinicians looking to integrate POCUS into their neurocritical care practice with confidence and precision.

Concurrent Session

Unraveling the Microcirculatory Puzzle: Mechanisms, Assessment, and Therapeutic Advances in Intracranial Hemorrhage

11:00am - 11:20am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Advanced

NCC Fellows/Trainees

DescriptionCerebral microcirculatory dysfunction plays a crucial role in the progression of neurologic injury, particularly in conditions like subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage. This talk will delve into the mechanisms behind microcirculatory disturbances and their pathophysiological impact on secondary brain injury in intracranial hemorrhage. Attendees will gain insight into how disruptions in microcirculation exacerbate brain damage and complicate recovery after intracranial hemorrhage.

We will explore the latest non-invasive and invasive monitoring tools, neuroimaging approaches to assessing cerebral hemodynamics and microcirculation, including cutting-edge tools for monitoring cerebral blood flow in the ICU. We will also discuss the role of biomarkers to assess for early microcirculatory dysfunction. The advantages, limitations, and real-world feasibility of these methods will be discussed, along with the role of biomarkers in identifying microcirculatory dysfunction early, allowing for timely interventions.

Additionally, the talk will present novel therapeutic strategies aimed at optimizing cerebral perfusion and preventing secondary brain injury after intracranial hemorrhage. Attendees will learn about emerging pharmacologic treatments and innovative device-based approaches designed to improve microvascular function and overall patient outcomes.
Join us for an engaging discussion on the critical role of microcirculatory dysfunction in brain injury and the exciting advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that are shaping the future of patient care in acute intracranial hemorrhage.

Concurrent Session

Updates on Definition and Pathophysiology of Pediatric & Neonatal Disorders of Consciousness

1:30pm - 1:50pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Coma

Intermediate

Pediatrics NCCs

DescriptionKnowledge and practice gaps hinder progress toward improving outcomes in pediatric and neonatal disorders of consciousness. Most importantly there is known uncertainty in the applicability of diagnostic categories and definitions used in adults when considering children and neonates. We will discuss loosely accepted definitions of disorders of consciousness and then address the structural and cultural challenges toward creating more formally accepted definitions.

Concurrent Session

Welcome to my TEG Talk: Identifying and Managing Coagulopathies in ICH

11:40am - 12:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intermediate

Pharmacists

DescriptionDetection and management of coagulopathies is challenging for patients presenting with intracranial hemorrhages. Prompt identification and correction of coagulopathies is paramount. This talk will focus on identification of coagulopathies in patients presenting with ICH and considerations for reversal of coagulopathies based on laboratory values.

Concurrent Session

What’s New in Management of Anticoagulation in Patients with ICH and Atrial Fibrillation?

2:45pm - 3:05pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intermediate

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

DescriptionOne-sixth of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have atrial fibrillation (AF). These patients present unique clinical dilemmas for neurointensivists. These patients often present with ICH in the setting of anticoagulant use, necessitating decisions about reversal agents with an eye to the timing of last dose of anticoagulant, ICH severity and acuity, and thromboembolic risk. After these patients are stabilized from an ICH perspective, decisions need to be made regarding how to manage their long-term risks of recurrent ICH and AF-related thromboembolism. A substantial amount of data from randomized trials has recently become available regarding both of these questions. This talk will summarize the findings of recent trials on specific anticoagulation reversal agents for acute ICH management and the long-term risks/benefits of anticoagulation resumption and left atrial appendage occlusion after ICH. At the conclusion of the talk, providers will be versed in evidence-based management of these common clinical dilemmas in neurocritical care and aware of ongoing clinical trials aiming to address current knowledge gaps, thereby becoming more proficient in caring for this challenging population.

Sessions

Networking Event

Advance Practice Providers (APP) Reception (All APP Attendees Welcome)

6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT Thursday, September 18th Zone St-Lauren

APPs

Concurrent Session

AI Implementation Science for Neurocritical Care

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

General Session

Awards Ceremony, Presidential Address and Opening Keynote Session

8:00am - 9:45am EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Concurrent Session

Beyond the Bump: Navigating Obstetric Neurocritical Care Challenges

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Pharmacists

Meal

Breakfast on Own

7:00am - 7:50am EDT Friday, September 19th

Meal

Breakfast on Own

7:00am - 7:50am EDT Saturday, September 20th

Concurrent Session

Bridging Clinical Practice and Translational Research in Neurocritical Care: Coma and Neuroprotection

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Concurrent Session

Bridging Clinical Practice and Translational Research in Neurocritical Care: Novel Targets in TBI and Hemorrhagic Stroke

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Abstract

General Session

Clinical Trials Platform Session

10:30am - 12:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

General Session

Closing Remarks and NCS Leadership Closing Panel – Help Us Envision the Future of the Society

10:30am - 12:00pm EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Meal

Continental Breakfast

7:00am - 8:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st Foyer 517 BC

Concurrent Session

Data Science and Precision Medicine in Neurocritical Care

8:00am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Ethics and Recovery in Neurocritical Care: Addressing Barriers, Co-Survivorship, and Moral Responsibilities

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Pharmacists

Exhibit Hall

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open

3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Exhibit Hall

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open

3:30pm - 5:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Exhibit Hall

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open

11:00am - 1:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Exhibit Hall

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open and Networking Coffee

9:30am - 12:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Exhibit Hall

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open and Networking Coffee

9:00am - 10:00am EDT Saturday, September 20th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Networking Event

Exhibit Hall Open and Welcome Reception

4:00pm - 6:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Networking Event

First-Time Attendee and New Member Session

3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 524 A-C

Networking Event

FNCS Reception (Fellows of Neurocritical Care Invited)

5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 725

Concurrent Session

Global Perspectives in Neurocritical Care: Innovations, Sustainability, and Access in Resource-Limited Settings

9:45am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Global Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Ancillary Meeting

How to Become FNCS

3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 521 AB

Concurrent Session

ICU Violence: How Do We Care for Patients and Providers?

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Abstract

General Session

Inclusion in Neurocritical Care Keynote and DEI Abstract Award Winner

8:00am - 9:15am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Concurrent Session

International Panel

11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Global Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Networking Event

International Section Meeting and Reception (Invitation Only)

5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 518 A-C

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Late Breaking Science Oral Platform

9:15am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Meal

Lunch on Own

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Saturday, September 20th

Meal

Lunch on Own

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Lunch Symposium Sponsored by Arialys

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 518 A-C

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Lunch Symposium Sponsored by BD

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 519 AB

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Lunch Symposium Sponsored by Ceribell

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 519 AB

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Lunch Symposium Sponsored by Chiesi

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 518 A-C

Meal

Sponsored Symposia

Lunch Symposium Sponsored by Hemedex

12:15pm - 1:15pm EDT Friday, September 19th 524 A-C

Workshop

Making ENLS Simulation a Reality: Practical Strategies for Any Institution Workshop

1:00pm - 5:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 519 B

General & Basic Neurocritical Care

Introductory

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Networking Event

NCS Social Event (Ticket Required)

7:00pm - 10:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 720 Atrium & 725 Terrace and Garden

Concurrent Session

NCS/SCCM Joint Session

9:45am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Concurrent Session

Neurocritical Care Guidelines

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

APPs

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Pharmacists

Pediatrics NCCs

Residents

Workshop

Non-invasive Neuromonitoring Assessments in Neurocritical Patients: Clinical Cases Workshop

8:00am - 12:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 519 B

Multimodal Neuromonitoring

Intermediate

Bedside Nurses

NCC Fellows/Trainees

Networking Event

Nursing Reception (All Nurse Attendees Welcome)

6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 524 Foyer

Bedside Nurses

Networking Event

Pharmacy Reception (All Pharmacy Attendees Welcome)

6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 525 A

Pharmacists

Networking Event

Poster

Poster Hall and Distinguished Professor Rounds

4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 517 A-D (Exhibit Hall)

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Precision Frontiers in Neurocritical Care: Tailoring Therapeutic Strategies for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke

9:45am - 10:45am EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Pharmacists

Registration

7:00am - 10:30am EDT Sunday, September 21st Foyer 517 BC

Registration

6:45am - 4:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th Foyer 517 BC

Registration

7:00am - 6:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th Foyer 517 BC

Registration

7:00am - 4:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th Foyer 517 BC

Concurrent Session

Revolutionizing Neurocritical Care Education: Measuring Simulation Impact, Building Collaborative Networks, and Integrating Technological Advancements for the Future

8:00am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Pharmacists

Speaker Ready Room

7:00am - 5:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 516 E

Speaker Ready Room

7:00am - 5:00pm EDT Thursday, September 18th 516 E

Speaker Ready Room

7:00am - 5:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 E

Speaker Ready Room

7:00am - 11:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 E

Networking Event

Sponsored Mentorship Mingle (Invitation Only)

5:30pm - 7:00pm EDT Friday, September 19th 519 AB

Concurrent Session

The Current Landscape and Practice of Post-ICU Neurorecovery Clinics (Prognosis and Recovery)

9:15am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

The Diagnosis with No Room for Error: Innovations in Simulation for Determination of Death by Neurologic Criteria

9:15am - 10:15am EDT Sunday, September 21st 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

The ICH Session

2:45pm - 3:45pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

The Invisible Injury: Targeting Microvascular Dysfunction in Acute Brain Injury

11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 516 A-D

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Abstract

Concurrent Session

Top-Scoring/Award Abstracts Oral Platform

8:00am - 9:00am EDT Sunday, September 21st 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

Concurrent Session

Transforming Neurocritical Care: Digital Innovation, Education, and AI-Driven Advancements

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Friday, September 19th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Delivery, Quality, and Safety

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Transfusion Thresholds in NCC

11:00am - 12:00pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Unlocking the Mysteries of Delirium in Neurocritical Care: Pathophysiology, Screening Tools, A to F Bundle Implementation, and Pharmacotherapy

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 710 AB

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Clinical Practice

Pharmacists

Concurrent Session

Updates on Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness

1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT Saturday, September 20th 520 BCEF

Included in Virtual Access Pass

Science of Neurocritical Care

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