Intracranial Pressure Monitoring for Acute Brain Injured Patients: When, How, What Should We Monitor

Youngbo Shim; Jungook Kim; Hye Seon Kim; Jiwoong Oh; Seungioo Lee; Eun Jin Ha

doi:10.13004/kjnt.2023.19.e32

Intracranial Pressure Monitoring for Acute Brain Injured Patients: When, How, What Should We Monitor

Korean J Neurotrauma. 2023 Jun 28;19(2):149-161. doi: 10.13004/kjnt.2023.19.e32. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Youngbo Shim¹, Jungook Kim², Hye Seon Kim³, Jiwoong Oh⁴, Seungioo Lee⁵, Eun Jin Ha⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
² Gachon University Gil Hospital Regional Trauma Center, Gachon, Korea.
³ Department of Neurosurgery, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University, Incheon, Korea.
⁴ Departments of Neurological Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁵ Departments of Neurological Surgery and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
⁶ Department of Critical Care Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

While there is no level I recommendation for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, it is typically indicated for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3-8 (class II). Even for moderate TBI patients with GCS 9-12, ICP monitoring should be considered for risk of increased ICP. The impact of ICP monitoring on patient outcomes is still not well-established, but recent studies reported a reduction of early mortality (class III) in TBI patients. There is no standard protocol for the application of ICP monitoring. In cases where cerebrospinal fluid drainage is required, an external ventricular drain is commonly used. In other cases, parenchymal ICP monitoring devices are generally employed. Subdural or non-invasive forms are not suitable for ICP monitoring. The mean value of ICP is the parameter recommended for observation in many guidelines. In TBI, values above 22 mmHg are associated with increased mortality. However, recent studies proposed various parameters including cumulative time with ICP above 20 mmHg (pressure-time dose), pressure reactivity index, ICP waveform characteristics (pulse amplitude of ICP, mean ICP wave amplitude), and the compensatory reserve of the brain (reserve-amplitude-pressure), which are useful in predicting patient outcomes and guiding treatment. Further research is required for validation of these parameters compared to simple ICP monitoring.

Keywords: Critical care; Intracranial pressure; Traumatic brain injury.

Publication types

Review