ABSTRACT
Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is a life-threatening complication of neurologic injury and is associated with nearly 20" mortality. Prompt recognition and rigorous monitoring of elevated ICP are critical in many conditions, including trauma, hydrocephalus, encephalitis, stroke, and central nervous system (CNS) neoplasm. Numerous neurologic conditions can be complicated by increased ICP. Rising pressures can cut off the blood supply to delicate brain tissue, resulting in severe and potentially irreversible brain injury; this can happen without fracturing the skull. ICP is a measure of the pressure contained within the skull. Brain tissue, cerebral blood, and cerebrospinal fluid are the compartments that contribute to the ICP. Raised ICP results from various causes, such as trauma, encephalitis, stroke, and CNS tumor. The management of each diagnosis will differ. In the early management of neurologic injury, it is important that patients be comprehensively evaluated and all etiologies be evaluated before a patient is declared brain dead.
