Traumatic Brain Injury in Pediatric Patients

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes significant morbidity and mortality. Severe TBI requires multidisciplinary care, and although there are areas of expert consensus in acute management, there are also many areas of ongoing research into areas of uncertainty or inadequate knowledge regarding best practices. Neurodevelopmental considerations are unique to the pediatric trauma patient. Furthermore, cerebrovascular, immunologic, and hematologic differences in children require pediatric-specific data to guide practice rather than extrapolation from adult practice. This chapter reviews areas where there is interdisciplinary consensus based on evidence or expert opinion. Current limitations in other areas of ongoing research are also discussed.