For critical care nurses, the theme of this issue—neurotrauma—evokes a collage of images that no episode of ER could ever fully capture. Mangled bodies, reeking of blood, emesis, urine, alcohol, gasoline, smoke, dirt, and other debris, arrive unresponsive to even the most potent noxious stimuli, and are placed in our hands for whatever elements of care are still available to administer. On a good day, our efforts in monitoring and managing these patients are rewarded with a viable patient who will eventually heal and return to his or her normal roles. For these times, we hope that the 4 papers related to patient monitoring in this issue will help you improve the odds for this outcome with your patients. On other days, our most sophisticated, expert, and costly ministrations for some patients will be to no avail. In those instances, we hope that the paper addressing the needs of family...

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