Management of Refractory Intracranial Pressure

Patients with refractory intracranial pressure represent a challenge to the multidisciplinary critical care team. Myriad diagnoses: traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage, and ischemic stroke, are among the causes commonly seen in patients with elevated intracranial pressure. Clinicians tasked with caring for these patients must be aware of available interventions and management strategies to improve outcomes. Nurses as the bedside clinician most frequently assessing these patients are ideally situated to detect changes and act efficiently to lower refractory intracranial pressure.