Acute care of the head-injured patient

Sophisticated care of the head-injured patient in the emergency department does not demand sophisticated knowledge of neurosurgery. Instead it depends upon meticulous attention to the fundamental principles of resuscitation, prevention of secondary cardiopulmonary abnormalities which can further injure the traumatized brain performance of serial neurological examinations (in the case of acute head injury, a simple neurological examination performed repeatedly usually provides the physician with more useful information than a more elaborate examination performed only once) and proper consultation with the neurosurgeon.