(June 5, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Thirty years of advancing technologies and evolving management strategies have reduced death rates associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, according to a study published in The Lancet Neurology.

Here is some information about subarachnoid hemorrhage:

•    It refers to bleeding in the area between the brain itself and the thin tissues that cover it.

•    Falls and accidents are a common cause

•    Other causes include bleeding disorders, use of blood thinners, and the rupture of a brain aneurysm

Advances in diagnosis and treatments for SAH include specialized MRI and CT techniques for detection of aneurysms, specialized stroke units, and  coiling within the vessel of burst aneurysms.

To see if these approaches have improved the outcome from SAH researchers from University Medical Centre Utrecht analyzed 33 studies spanning a 30 year period involving nearly 9,000 patients. They looked at how patients' characteristics and death rates changed over time.

The average age of those suffering from subarachnoid hemorrhage rose from 52 to 62. After considering this age difference, the investigators found that death rates dropped by an average of 0.4% every year.

Today's research demonstrates how advancing technologies and management strategies may have helped save lives of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. 

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.