Acute head trauma

Abstract

Severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the leading causes of acquired disability and death in the USA, with the highest combined rates of TBI-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths occurring in the youngest age. While the most effective treatment is preventing trauma in the first place, a large number of patients still present to the emergency rooms and trauma centers, and their outcome is greatly affected by prompt and effective pediatric neurocritical/neurosurgical care. There is an age-at-injury pattern. Falls and motor vehicle collisions are common accidental causes, while abuse in infants and toddlers and assaults in adolescents are unfortunate common non-accidental causes of TBI. Optimal management depends on detection of primary brain injury and preventing or limiting secondary brain injury.