All emergency physicians are comfortable caring for the patient in acute pulmonary edema. Initial treatment of this emergency condition has changed little in the past decade. However the treatment of less acute patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) has changed dramatically in the recent past.
According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, there are currently more than 100,000 people in the United States in need of life-saving organ transplants. Unfortunately, this demand far exceeds the number of available organs, and each day an average of 18 people die because of the shortage of organs and organ donors.
Pediatric head trauma is a common presenting complaint to the emergency department (ED) and is a major cause of pediatric death and disability. This article will address the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of moderate to severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), with a focus on strategies to improve outcome.
