Neurocritical Care and Traumatic Brain Injury

The majority of severely head injured children will not require neurosurgery. For the pediatrician, the central question must be whether medical interventions are effective in limiting morbidity and treating the problem of cerebral oedema. However, in order to address this issue we need to give some thought to the system of care in which we practice, how we assess the severity of brain injury and whether, in regard to pathophysiology, responses in children are significantly different from those seen in adults. In this regard, this review highlights some of the recent pediatric neurocritical care literature and provides, for the clinician, a framework on which to base ones medical management of severe traumatic brain injury occurring in childhood.