Cuidados de enfermería en pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefálico en áreas críticas

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a pathology produced by any event that can cause physical or functional damage to the brain or its adjacent structures, manifesting itself with alterations in consciousness, motor and/or sensory damage which can lead to disability, and even death. It is a worldwide health problem, with high morbimortality rates that entail great socio- economic repercussions. Methodology: A literature review was conducted by searching in different scientific databases, such as Scopus, Pubmed, Science Direct, Springer, Redalyc, Scielo, and institutional pages as the World Health Organization (WHO); 56 articles published between 2016-2021 in several languages were selected to obtain significant scientific information to answer the questions posed in the research. Results: TBI is more prevalent in poor countries, in young men in ages ranging from 20 to 45 years old; it is associated with alcohol and drug consumption, mainly caused by traffic accidents (motorcycle), and related to the lack of protective measures. The most common complications are post-traumatic seizures, prolonged hospital stays, predisposition to the appearance of infections, finally causing sequelae, and even death. Conclusions: The nursing staff is the cornerstone in the care of this type of patients, care should be oriented with the prevention of complications both short and long term, based on constant monitoring of vital signs, proper administration of potentially dangerous medication, changes of position, aspiration of secretions, skincare, feeding, and early rehabilitation. Keywords: Craniocerebral trauma, etiology, complications, mortality, nursing care.