Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2008;12(5):185.
doi: 10.1186/cc7020. Epub 2008 Oct 20.

Barbiturates for the treatment of intracranial hypertension after traumatic brain injury

Sarice L Bassin  1 , Thomas P Bleck
Affiliations
Editorial

Barbiturates for the treatment of intracranial hypertension after traumatic brain injury

Sarice L Bassin et al. Crit Care. 2008.

Abstract

In their article on the use of barbiturates for the treatment of intracranial hypertension after traumatic brain injury, Perez-Barcena and colleagues conclude that thiopental was more effective than pentobarbital in decreasing intracranial pressure. Here we discuss the limitations of this study and review areas of controversy surrounding barbiturate use in neurocritical care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

References

    1. Pérez-Bárcena J, Llompart-Pou JA, Homar J, Abadal JM, Raurich JM, Frontera G, Brell M, Ibanez J, Ibanez J. Pentobarbital versus thiopental in the treatment of refractory intracranial hypertension in patients with traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled trial. Crit Care. 2009;12:R112. doi: 10.1186/cc6999. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Winer JW, Rosenwasser RH, Jimenez F. Electroencephalographic activity and serum and cerebrospinal fluid pentobarbital levels in determining the therapeutic end point during barbiturate coma. Neurosurgery. 1991;29:739–741. doi: 10.1097/00006123-199111000-00016. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Timbrell J. Principles of Biochemical Toxicology. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis; 2000.
    1. Shiu GK, Nemoto EM, Nemmer J. Dose of thiopental, pentobarbital, and phenytoin for maximal therapeutic effects in cerebral ischemic anoxia. Crit Care Med. 1983;11:452–459. doi: 10.1097/00003246-198306000-00013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Warner DS, Takaoka S, Wu B, Ludwig PS, Pearlstein RD, Brinkhous AD, Dexter F. Electroencephalographic burst suppression is not required to elicit maximal neuroprotection from pentobarbital in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia. Anesthesiology. 1996;84:1475–1484. doi: 10.1097/00000542-199606000-00024. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources