[Does intracranial pressure monitoring improve outcome after severe traumatic brain injury?]

Abstract

Raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is frequent and associated with poor outcome after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Information obtained by ICP monitoring allows early detection of high ICP and goal-directed therapy. There is a large body of clinical evidence showing that protocol driven neurocritical care improves outcomes after TBI. A monitoring method cannot be separated from therapeutic implications, which may have beneficial or deleterious consequences. ICP monitoring and guided therapy are not risk-free. A rational use of ICP as a guide to therapy must take into account of the absolute threshold for treatment, but also of the risk/benefit balance of the used intervention.