Brain Trauma

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem throughout the world. In the United States it affects 2% of the population yearly and is responsible for nearly 2 million emergency room visits, with 15% of these patients requiring hospitalization. Among this group, mortality rates remain as high, at 20%, with significant long-term neurological deficits in 35% of survivors, despite advances in therapy. This lag in improved outcomes is felt to be due partly to a lack of widespread adoption of standard treatment protocols. As a result, a joint task force of the Brain Trauma Foundation and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons has developed evidence-based guidelines in an attempt at systematizing the care of patients with TBI. The goal of this article is to further explore and communicate these standards of TBI management and to expand on future directions of promise in the field.