• Ann-Charlotte Falk.
• Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. ann-charlotte.falk@karolinska.se
• Childs Nerv Syst. 2012 Jul 1;28(7):1069-75.

IntroductionTraumatic brain injury is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children and adolescents. Moderate to severe brain injuries account for approximately 20 % of all brain injuries, and nearly 50 % of the patients experience neuropsychological sequelae due to the injury. The purposes of this study are, firstly, to describe intensive care management of children with a severe brain injury and, secondly, to study the impact of elevated intracranial pressure on outcome.MethodsA retrospective review of medical records was done.ResultsSixty children were admitted for intensive care during the study period. Seventy-three percent of all children received neurosurgical interventions, 26 children received an intracranial pressure-monitoring device and 14 of those had an elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) >20 mmHg requiring ICP-targeted therapies. Eighty-eight percent of all children reported cognitive impairment at follow-up. No significant correlation was found between the King's Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury outcome groups and whether or not the children have had a neurosurgical intervention or were treated with ICP-targeted medical therapies.ConclusionChildren receiving rehabilitation after a brain injury during childhood make a moderate to good recovery. No significant correlation was found between outcome and whether or not the child had been treated for elevated intracranial pressure.

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