| Treatment |
| The goals of brain injury treatment are to: - Stop any bleeding - Prevent an increase in pressure within the skull - Control the amount of pressure, when it does increase - Maintain adequate blood flow to the brain - Remove any large clots Treatments will vary with the type of injury. Positioning: Usually the head of the bed is elevated slightly and the neck kept straight. This position may decrease the intracranial pressure by allowing blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to drain from the brain. Fluid restriction: The brain is like a sponge, it swells with extra fluid. Limiting fluids can help control the swelling Medications: - Diurectics are used to decrease the amount of water in the body. This makes less water available to the brain for swelling. - Anticonvusants are used to prevent seizures. Seizures may occur because of extra electrical activity in the brain. - Barbiturates are given if the intracranial pressure is very high and hard to control. This medicine puts the patient into a deep sleep which may help more swelling and damage. Ventricular Drain (ventriculostomy): A small tube is placed in the ventricle. It measures and controls pressure inside the skull. It can also be used to drain extra CSF from the brain. Ventilator: This machine is used to support the patients breathing. When the ventilator gives extra breaths, the blood vessels become smaller and may help control intracranial pressure. Surgery:There are three types of surgery used with brain injury. Craniotomy- The skull is opened to relieve the causes of increased pressure inside the skull. Burr holes- A small opening is made into the skull to remove blood clots. Bone flap removal- A piece of bone is removed from the skull to relieve pressure caused by swollen brain tissue. |