PURPOSE

These guidelines are not intended to supplant physician judgment. Rather, these guidelines are intended to provide a basic framework for those less experienced with the delivery of care in this setting to the brain injured patient, as well as to educate and provide insight to others on the delivery of care in a restrictive environment.

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in about one third of all trauma-related deaths in the United States and remains one of the most common causes of death on the modern battlefield.1,2   The Committee on Surgical Combat Casualty Care (CoSCCC) published a Neurosurgical Capabilities Position Statement in Feb 2023 given the importance of this issue. Specific to the combat environment:

CLASSIFICATION

The classification of brain injury informs prognosis and care eligibility in the combat environment. Brain injury severity is classified according to their GCS.