Diagnosis and management of elevated intracranial pressure in the emergency department

Diagnosis and management of elevated intracranial pressure in the emergency department

Intracranial pressure, Emergency department, Intracranial hypertension, Elevated intracranial pressure,
Traumatic brain injury

Background Elevated intracranial pressure is a devastating complication of catastrophic brain injury. Intracranial
hypertension is commonly seen in neurologic injury secondary to traumatic brain injuries. Uncontrolled pressures can
lead to permanent neurologic damage, but acute medical management is often overlooked when pursuing surgical
management options that may not always be indicated.
Discussion Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death in patients with severe neurologic injury. Diagnosing
elevated intracranial pressures is imperative in initiating prompt treatment to reduce secondary central nervous sys‐
tem injury, morbidity, and mortality. Although the initial injury to the brain is typically irreversible, intracranial pressure
control can assist in salvaging the remaining brain tissue from additional damage. We will discuss the initial medical
and surgical management of traumatic brain injury to prevent further neurologic deterioration and reduce mortality.
Conclusion Recent literature has reported several methods to detect elevated intracranial pressure easily and stud‐
ies describing multiple treatment modalities. These investigations suggest that early detection and timely treatment
of intracranial hypertension are beneficial in reducing mortality.
Keywords Intracranial pressure, Emergency department, Intracranial hypertension, Elevated intracranial pressure,
Traumatic brain injury

Sima Patel1*, Jose Maria‐Rios1

, Amay Parikh2 and Okorie Nduka Okorie2

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12245-023-00540-x

2023

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