MANAGEMENT OF SEVERE BRAIN INJURY

Aggressive treatment of patients with severe head injury increases the chance for survival and good functional outcome in most cases. To pre vent irreversible cerebral lesions, the key point of treatment is the management of intracranial hypertension caused by intracranial hematom as, brain edema and impaired circulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Therapeutic standards are surgery of traumatic hematoma, osmotherapy and mild hyperventilation for brain edema, and CSF drainage. In highly elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) administration of barbiturates a nd forced hyperventilation can be considered.