Prehospital use of hypertonic solutions for traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Hypertonic solutions efficaciously lower increased intracranial pressure and improve cerebral hemodynamics in particular at the level of microcirculation. Therefore hypertonic solutions have been introduced to the in-hospital intensive care treatment of brain-injured patients. In view of the disturbed cerebral perfusion and oxygenation in the acute phase following traumatic brain injury, early initiation of treatment is desirable to improve long-term outcome and to minimize secondary brain damage. Two different hypertonic isooncotic solutions are licensed in Germany for prehospital and in-hospital treatment of acute hypotension due to hypovolaemia and haemorrhagic shock. Both solutions offer interesting therapeutic options for treatment of patients with increased intracranial pressure. Limitation of license to the treatment of shock in Germany does not allow routine prehospital use in isolated head trauma at the moment. In other European countries, the approval for the prehospital use of hypertonic isooncotic solutions has been modified.