The acute care of traumatic brain injury

During the past few decades, management of acute traumatic brain injury has advanced substantially on several fronts. Implementation of rapid transport systems and the advent of trauma centres, together with advances in emergency medicine, critical care medicine and trauma neurosurgery, have improved outcome following head injury. Technological advances made during the past years in the field of invasive neuromonitoring that provide real-time information on brain oxygenation may further improve outcome by enabling individualized therapies for intracranial hypertension. Furthermore, these recent technological advances will provide insights into the pathophysiological processes that are active in traumatic brain injury and a better understanding of the biochemical effects of specific therapeutic regimens.