The effects of patient repositioning on intracranial pressure

This study was designed to describe changes in intracranial pressure during 74 nurse-initiated repositionings of 30 patients with potential for, or raised intracranial pressure. Measures were recorded of intracranial pressure, body position, heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure prior to, during, and five minutes after repositioning. Grouped data showed that a rise in mean intracranial pressure occurred during each of the position changes and that the mean pressure was close to or below the baseline observation five minutes after each position change. Despite fluctuations in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure, cerebral perfusion pressures were always at or above 53 mmHg which indicated that cerebral perfusion was adequate. Nursing implications of the results are discussed.