Treatment options for severe traumatic brain injuries in children: current therapies, challenges, and future prospects

Abstract

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) afflicts many children and adults worldwide, resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Recent therapeutic advances have focused on both surgical and medical treatment options, but none have been proven to reduce overall morbidity and mortality in this population. Areas covered: Several emerging therapies are addressed that focus on treating related secondary injuries and other clinical sequelae post-TBI during the acute injury phase (defined by authors as up to four weeks post-injury). Information and data were obtained from a PubMed search of recent literature and through reputable websites (e.g. Centers for Disease Control, ClinicalTrials.gov). Peer-reviewed original articles, review articles, and clinical guidelines were included. Expert commentary: The ongoing challenges related to conducting rigorous clinical trials in TBI have led to largely inconclusive findings regarding emerging beneficial therapies.

Keywords: TBI; Traumatic brain injury; cerebral blood flow; cerebral perfusion pressure; cognition; increased intracranial pressure; neurotherapeutics.