Emergency management of the head-injured patient.
The patient with severe head injury is a therapeutic challenge and demands all of the skills of the emergency medical specialist to manage traumatic injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, and limbs, as well as the specialized problems associated with respiratory care in a patient with raised ICP. The initial treatment is summarized in this article, which also reviews some of the most common types of head injuries and their sequelae.
Fink
M E
ME
Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Neurological Institute of New York, New York.
D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001463:Barbiturates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology; D003243:Consciousness; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000503:physiopathology; D004234:Diuretics, Osmotic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004630:Emergencies; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006985:Hyperventilation / Q000209:etiology; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D009043:Motor Activity; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D011680:Pupil / Q000503:physiopathology; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D001463:Barbiturates; D004234:Diuretics, Osmotic