[Management of severe head-injured patients in the first 24 hours. Resuscitation and initial diagnostic strategy]. / Prise en charge du traumatisé crânien grave dans les 24 premières heures. Réanimation et stratégie diagnostique initiales.

Limitation of secondary insults after severe head injury is a permanent concern during the early phase of head trauma management. The objectives are to maintain mean arterial pressure between 80 and 100 mmHg, to avoid hypoxaemia, and to maintain arterial PCO2 near to 35 mmHg. Volume loading can be necessary to improve arterial pressure, and is carried out with isotonic critalloid (NaCl 9/1000) or colloids, with the exclusion of all hypotonic solutions (Ringer lactate or glucose). The use of catecholamines is reserved for patients with unstable haemodynamics despite an adequate volume loading. The rapid sequence induction is recommended for endotracheal intubation and is followed by continuous analgesia-sedation to keep patient-ventilator dysynchrony, but without compromising haemodynamic objectives. Mannitol is used in case of life-threatening intracranial hypertension. Conversely, specific treatment of intracranial hypertension, especially hypocapnia, is not recommended. Initial diagnostic procedures include cerebral tomodensitometry (TDM). However, TDM may be delayed in case of haemorrhage, which requires a rapid treatment. Intrahospital transport for additional explorations risks secondary insults, and thus requires close monitoring to detect and treat in due time all adverse events. This monitoring includes invasive arterial blood pressure assessment, use of continuous capnography and repeated arterial blood gas measurements. The usefulness of transcranial Doppler for initial management of head-trauma patients needs further evaluation.