Neuromonitoring

The monitoring of critically ill brain-injured patients has become increasingly complex. Several techniques are now available for global and regional brain monitoring that provide early warning of impending brain ischaemia and allow optimization of cerebral haemodynamics and oxygenation. Modern neurointensive care utilizes a combination of monitoring techniques (multimodal monitoring) to identify or predict secondary cerebral insults and guide therapeutic interventions in order to maximize the potential for good outcome after brain injury. Developments in multimodal monitoring have allowed a movement away from rigid physiological target-setting towards an individually tailored, patient-specific approach. This review describes current monitoring techniques used during the intensive care management of brain injury.