The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
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Secondary brain injury results in increased morbidity and mortality in the traumatically brain-injured (TBI) patient. Research has shown that prevention of secondary brain injury, as characterized by cerebral ischemia and edema, can improve neurologic outcomes. ⋯ Scientifically, brain tissue oxygenation can be directly measured via the partial pressure of oxygen in brain tissue (PbO2) probe. This provides a rapid, potentially more accurate indicator of cerebral oxygenation, thereby allowing for earlier intervention into the prevention of secondary brain injury.