04b_05_01 Head Injury

Head Injury
Session Overview
Description
This session describes the principles of stabilisation and management of a child with a head injury and how this differs from the management of an adult patient. This includes methods of assessment, effects and management of raised intracranial pressure, the principles of anaesthetising a child with cerebral injury and the drugs that may be used.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Devise a plan for managing a child with a head injury
• Describe the assessment and immediate management of a child with head injury
• List factors indicating the severity of a primary head injury and the criteria for referral to a neurosurgeon
• Choose which investigations are appropriate
• Decide which drugs are suitable when anaesthetizing a child with raised intracranial pressure

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should be familar with:

• The recognition and stabilization of sick children
• Anatomy of the CNS
• Physiology of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems
• Pharmacology of anaesthetic agents, intravenous fluids and vasopressors and the principles of their use in adult patients with head injury