title: Diagnosing increased intracranial pressure.
abstract: Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is a challenging complication to treat within a critical care setting. It is imperative that clinicians use a stepwise approach in developing a diagnosis, as to be comprehensive and decrease morbidity and mortality related to increased ICP. This article provides an algorithm that can be used as a clinical guideline when assessing a patient who has an ICP monitor in place and is presenting with increased ICP. The algorithm is inclusive and composed of a history of present illness, review of systems, physical assessment, labs, and further testing.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. MelissaSchimpf8@gmail.com
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Schimpf
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003422:Critical Care / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration