Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring in Severe Brain Injury, I: Research and Usefulness in Critical Care

This article provides an overview and historical perspective of the latest technology in brain tissue oxygen monitoring. Research findings on factors that affect the levels of brain tissue oxygen are presented, and the authors suggest interventions to maintain adequate brain oxygenation.

Severe traumatic brain injury has challenged the medical community for decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,¹ a traumatic brain injury is “an injury to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain.” Almost 1.5 million cases of traumatic brain injury—some mild, some severe—are reported each year in the United States. Approximately 50000 of the persons who have a traumatic brain injury die, and 80000 leave the hospital with some disability. Currently, about 5.3 million persons in the United States live with a disability caused by a traumatic brain injury.¹ The primary injury, which happens at the time of the event, causes...