Clin Neuropathol
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The injured brain may be damaged by primary impact, secondary injury from secondary damage due to initiation of destructive inflammatory and biochemical cascades by the primary injury or secondary ischemic injury following secondary insults that initiate or augment these immunological and biochemical cascades. Cerebral ischemia will arise whenever delivery of oxygen and substrates to the brain fall below metabolic needs. Many factors lead to the development of secondary insults to the injured brain during initial resuscitation, transport, surgery, and subsequent intensive care. ⋯ After brain trauma, systemic hypotension, compromised CPP, raised ICP, elevated temperature, hypoxemia, and jugular bulb venous desaturation are associated with poor prognosis. Clinical trials of moderate hypothermia following brain trauma are ongoing. Following adult brain trauma maintenance of CPP above at least 65 mmHg (probably > 40 mmHg in children below 8 years) seems important to improve outcome indicating the need for continuous ICP monitoring during intensive care of brain-injured patients.