Review
Critical care management of severe traumatic brain injury in adults
1 Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Intensive Care Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, Riyadh 11426, K.S.A
2 Intensive Care Department, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdulaziz Medical City, PO Box 22490, Riyadh 11426, K.S.A
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine 2012, 20:12 doi:10.1186/1757-7241-20-12
Published: 3 February 2012Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major medical and socio-economic problem, and is the leading cause of death in children and young adults. The critical care management of severe TBI is largely derived from the "Guidelines for the Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury" that have been published by the Brain Trauma Foundation. The main objectives are prevention and treatment of intracranial hypertension and secondary brain insults, preservation of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and optimization of cerebral oxygenation. In this review, the critical care management of severe TBI will be discussed with focus on monitoring, avoidance and minimization of secondary brain insults, and optimization of cerebral oxygenation and CPP.
