Perioperative nursing care of patients with craniofacial injuries.

Craniofacial injuries are the result of deceleration, blunt, or penetrating trauma. Depending on the mechanism of injury, craniofacial fractures can be minor and go undetected, or they can produce devastating facial deformities. With the advent of intermaxillary fixation devices, surgeons can manipulate facial bone structures and repair soft tissue damage in the majority of patients with craniofacial trauma injuries. Most patients experience optimal results from their craniofacial surgical procedures and return to normal lives after surgery.