title: [First tier measures in the treatment of intracranial hypertension in the patient with severe craniocerebral trauma. Proposal and justification of a protocol].
abstract: The management of severe head injuries in general and that of high intracranial pressure (ICP) in particular are among the most challenging tasks in neurocritical care. One of the difficulties still faced by clinicians is that of reducing variability among centers when implementing management protocols. The purpose of this paper is to propose a standardized protocol for the management of high ICP after severe head injury, consistent with recently published clinical practice guidelines and other clinical evidence such as that provided by the systematic reviews of the Cochrane Collaboration. Despite significant advances in neuromonitoring, deeper insight into the physiopathology of severe brain trauma and the many therapeutic options available, standardized protocols are still lacking. Recently published guidelines provide sketchy recommendations without details on how and when to apply different therapies. Consequently, great variability exists in daily clinical practice even though different centers apply the same evidence-based recommendations. In this paper we suggest a structured protocol in which each step is justified and integrated into an overall strategy for the management of severe head injuries. The most recent data from both the preliminary and definitive results of randomized clinical trials as well as from other sources are discussed. The main goal of this article is to provide neurotraumatology intensive care units with a unified protocol that can be easily modified as new evidence becomes available. This will reduce variation among centers when applying the same therapeutic measures. This goal will facilitate comparisons in outcomes among different centers and will also enable the implementation of more consistent clinical practice in centers involved in multicenter clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurocirugía, Unidad de Investigación de Neurotraumatología, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona. sahuquillo@homemail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sahuquillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biestro
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amorós
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lung
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Poca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Nadal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Báguena
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Panzardo
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mira
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garnacho
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lobato
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019090:Case Management; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004594:Electrophysiology; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012640:Seizures / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000700:Analgesics; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents
vernacular_title: Medidas de primer nivel en el tratamiento de la hipertensión intracraneal en el paciente con un traumatismo craneoencefálico grave. Propuesta y justificación de un protocolo.