title: Central nervous system monitoring. What helps, what does not.
abstract: The ICU monitoring of CNS function can make a difference in the clinical outcome. No single technique addresses the multiple issues that arise in the ICU setting, especially for the polytrauma patient. Multimodality approaches combining assessment of cerebral blood flow, electrophysiologic parameters, and intracranial pressure, when appropriate, with cardiac and respiratory monitors are being developed at a number of traumatology centers world wide. Experience needs to be gained to establish the best combination of these modalities. Pending this, selected use of intracranial pressure monitoring combined with EEG and transcranial Doppler ultrasound provides reliable immediate assessment and ongoing monitoring of CNS structures.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurologic Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Unwin
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Giller
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kopitnik
mesh_terms: D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001926:Brain Death / Q000503:physiopathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000502:physiology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D004453:Echoencephalography; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D006801:Humans; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide