Neurosurgical intensive care

Abstract

This review seeks to provide the practicing anesthesiologist with a data base enabling him to participate rationally in the treatment of acute neurologic disease and to evaluate new concepts and techniques being directed toward this group of patients. Staffing as well as monitoring requirements are discussed. In the following section the authors utilize head trauma as a prototype disease entity and review the problems and recent progress in the management of these patients. In the last section, the evidence that barbiturates may be useful adjuncts in the management of cerebral ischemia due to a variety of etiologies is evaluated. 91 references are cited.