Update on Pharmaceutical Intervention for Disorders of Consciousness and Agitation After Traumatic Brain Injury in Children

Responsiveness and agitation are common targets for pharmaceutical intervention after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children. This focused review presents a critical discussion of the limited literature available on the use of medications for disorders of consciousness and agitation in children with TBI. For disorders of consciousness, evidence from several small studies supports a potential benefit of dopaminergic agents for improving responsiveness in some children with lower levels of function after TBI. Larger studies, likely requiring multicenter collaborations, are needed to more definitively address questions regarding the use of medications for responsiveness in children with TBI. The literature regarding use of pharmaceutical agents for agitation in children with TBI is even more limited. The dearth of literature regarding the effects of medications used for agitation in children with TBI highlights the need for additional basic and clinical science contributions in this area.