INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE MONITORING

Course overview

ACCORDING TO THE MONRO-KELLIE THEORY, THE CRANIAL COMPARTMENT IS INCOMPRESSIBLE, AND ITS CONTENTS (BLOOD, CSF, AND BRAIN TISSUE) ARE IN AN INTERNAL MILIEU OF VOLUME BALANCE; THUS, AN INCREASE IN ONE MUST BE OFFSET BY A REDUCTION IN THE OTHER TWO COMPONENTS. INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE (ICP) GUIDED THERAPY HAS BEEN THE CORNERSTONE IN MANAGING SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. ICP MONITORING ALLOWS FOR JUDICIOUS USE OF INTERVENTIONS WITH A DEFINED TARGET POINT, THEREBY AVOIDING POTENTIALLY HARMFUL AGGRESSIVE TREATMENT. THIS ACTIVITY OUTLINES THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE (ICP) MONITORING AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF CURRENT INVASIVE AND NONINVASIVE MONITORING METHODS. THE ACTIVITY ALSO ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS OF AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM TO MINIMIZE COMPLICATIONS REGARDING THE PROCESS AND THEREBY SAFEGUARD PATIENT SAFETY.