| Popis: |
Severe head injury remains common and patients who survive the initial insult are often left with a major neurological deficit. This has serious economic implications both for health care resources and for society, as most of the patients affected are young adults early in their working lives. Intensive care of patients who suffer traumatic brain injury aims to prevent secondary neuronal damage. Up to 75% of blunt trauma victims suffer some degree of head injury, which has been linked to higher mortality. Despite widespread compliance with published guidelines regarding the management of the head injury per se, the optimal timing for dealing with extra-cranial injury in patients with associated brain trauma remains unclear and is discussed in this article. Head injured patients who, in addition, suffer an extra-cranial injury fall into two broad categories |
