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2023 SEP 2 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week -- Investigators publish new report on carbonic anhydrase inhibitor anticonvulsants. According to news [...]

A brain injured patient is at serious risk for increased intracranial brain pressure. Nurses should watch for headache and loss of consciousness and a monitoring device may be attached to detect pressure changes. Drug therapies are also discussed.

The best head positioning to manage intracranial hemodynamics in patients with head injuries, for example, should be decided on an individual basis by considering both intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). Head elevation has been the conventional practice for patients with elevated ICP, but this intervention increases the risk of cerebral ischemia and other complications brought on by lowered CPP. Efforts should be made to keep CPP above 70 mm Hg., Head elevation is a conventional nursing intervention used to control raised intracranial pressure and avoid complications in patients with neurotrauma or other conditions requiring management of intracranial hemodynamics. This therapy, however, provides a particular dilemma for health care providers. While elevating the head of the bed does decrease intracranial pressure, it may put some patients at risk for intracranial hypertension and cerebral ischemia due to decreases in cerebral perfusion pressure. This article analyzes research on head positioning that provides individual outcome measurements versus group means in adult patients with various conditions. The risk/benefit method of analysis used in this review revealed that in addition to only monitoring and controlling for ICP, we must also monitor and control CPP with a greater emphasis on this particular measurement. This analysis also revealed that optimal head positioning to manage intracranial hemodynamics should be decided upon on an individual basis using both ICP and CPP measurements., Introduction Head elevation is a routine nursing procedure used to avoid complications related to increased intracranial pressure in various types of adult patients with head injuries and other intracranial hemodynamic [...]

Critical care units are extensively using continuous intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for patients with traumatic head injuries and other neurologic conditions, which considerably increase risk for heightened ICP or intracranial hypertension. ICP monitoring allows for the fast detection of clinical signs, which could indicate necessary treatment to prevent brain injury or death. Several tips for effective monitoring, fluid-filled systems, infection prevention and documentation are provided.

Intracranial pressure (ICP) is the pressure exerted by the cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles of the brain. Above the normal levels of 0 to 15 mm Hg, increased ICP becomes potentially life-threatening. Hyperventilation is the quickest way to reduce elevated ICP. Throughout the treatment of a patient with increased ICP, special attention should be placed on proper drug therapy, proper ventilation, fluid intake, body positioning, maintaining body temperature and controlling the environment to reduce pain or emotional stress.

Why have we stopped hyperventilating traumatic brain injury patients, when this is a known way of decreasing intracranial pressure (ICP)? We have not stopped totally, but we no longer hyperventilate [...]

Abstract: Therapeutic hypothermia initiated immediately after a severe head trauma holds promise for improving outcomes. However, the effect of hypothermia on intracranial pressure (ICP) is not yet known. This study [...]

Controlling ICP after a craniotomy Jack Murphy fell from a ladder and struck his head. He was brought to the hospital unconscious. After an emergency workup, a craniotomy was done [...]