Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in young adults

Object. The authors reviewed the management protocols for young adults who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) at the Regional Neurosurgery Unit in Newcastle during a study period of 9 years. Aneurysmal SAH is uncommon in the age group selected (18–39 years) and, therefore, the performance of these patients has not been extensively reported in the literature. The authors also evaluated the good-grade rebleed rate (an index of management efficiency) in this cohort of patients. Methods. The Newcastle neurosurgical unit serves a population of close to 3 million people, and an average of 180 patients with SAH are seen each year. The majority of patients are transferred from other hospitals in the region. This study includes patients admitted between January 1990 and December 1998. A total of 1609 patients were admitted during this period, of whom 295 (18.4%) between the ages of 18 and 39 years constituted the study population of young adults. Two hundred ninety-five young adults presented with SAH; 1...