Pediatric Head Trauma

Excerpt

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents one of the leading causes of death and disability in children between 1 and 18 years of age. TBI is typically classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS). Patients with a GCS of 14 to 15 are considered to have mild TBI, while patients with a GCS of 9 to 13 have moderate TBI, and those with a GCS of 3 to 8 have severe TBI. Severe TBI is associated with a high risk of mortality and neurologic morbidity in children. Primary prevention efforts, avoidance of secondary neurologic injury, organized trauma systems, and diagnosis and treatment of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) can ameliorate negative outcomes of severe TBI.