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Emergency Neurological Life Support: Intracranial Hypertension and Herniation

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Abstract

Sustained intracranial hypertension and acute brain herniation are “brain codes,” signifying catastrophic neurological events that require immediate recognition and treatment to prevent irreversible injury and death. As in cardiac arrest, a brain code mandates the organized implementation of a stepwise management algorithm. The goal of this Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol is to implement an evidence-based, standardized approach to the evaluation and management of patients with intracranial hypertension and/or herniation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Rhonda Cadena

  2. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Michael Shoykhet

  3. Departments of Emergency Medicine and Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jonathan J. Ratcliff

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  1. Rhonda Cadena
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  2. Michael Shoykhet
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  3. Jonathan J. Ratcliff
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Correspondence to Rhonda Cadena.

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Cadena, R., Shoykhet, M. & Ratcliff, J.J. Emergency Neurological Life Support: Intracranial Hypertension and Herniation. Neurocrit Care 27 (Suppl 1), 82–88 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-017-0454-z

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