Initial Management of Head Injury

Head Injury or trauma to the head is a common injury often sustained in motor vehicle accidents and childhood injuries. Once the brain has been damaged by trauma, there is no quick fix. However, there are some steps that can be taken to prevent secondary damage. If left untreated many patients with head injury will rapidly develop complications which may lead to death or permanent disability. Prompt medical treatment may prevent the worsening of symptoms and lead to a better outcome. Medical treatment should begin as soon as possible by a medical attendant with neurosurgical capabilities. The management of brain injury requires the involvement of sub specialists who are generally available only at larger hospitals.

Initial Management of Head Injury provides comprehensive guidance for non-neurosurgeons on managing patients with head trauma for better patient outcomes. Targeted at emergency physicians, paramedics, general physicians, clinicians and intensivists who are part of trauma care teams, Initial Management of Head Injury gives the non-neurosurgeon all the information they need, enabling them to make accurate decisions for optimal initial care to save lives which may otherwise be lost or irretrievably impaired.

It achieves this by: • translating the latest evidence based research into practical clinical guidelines • using clean and simple illustrations to highlight the most useful surgical techniques and procedures. • incorporating a collection of radiological images that provides insights for accurate interpretation and evaluation. • devoting discrete chapters to the management of subsets of patients with brain injuries - including children, the elderly, sporting injuries, the anticoagulated patient and the alcohol intoxicated patient.

This accessible book is an invaluable resource for those emergency and clinical settings where specialist neurosurgical access is delayed. In addition, it will have high appeal in regions with limited or low resource availability. Neurosurgeon specialists will also appreciate the current and user friendly presentation of data.