ABSTRACT
EPIDEMIOLOGY Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is responsible for half of the 150,000 injury-related deaths each year in the United States and is the number one cause of death in all Americans under the age of 45.1 In the past, the majority of survivors were severely disabled, but in recent years, the mortality rate for patients who survive to the hospital has been reduced from 50% to 25% with a higher proportion of patients returning to a functional existence.2 Thanks to improved out-of-hospital emergency care and an improved understanding of pathophysiology and pharmacology, TBI is now associated with an improved outcome in many cases.
