A brain injury or another medical condition can cause growing pressure inside your skull. This dangerous condition is called increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and can lead to a headache. The pressure also further injure your brain or spinal cord. This kind of headache is an emergency and requires immediate medical attention. The sooner you get help, the more likely you are to recover. Causes of ICP:
What are the symptoms of ICP?These are the most common symptoms of an ICP:
The symptoms of ICP may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. How is ICP diagnosed?To diagnose ICP, your doctor may do the following:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (used after the initial assessment)uses magnetic fields to detect subtle changes in brain tissue content and can show more detail than X-rays or CT
How is ICP treated?Increased intracranial pressure is an emergency. Treatment might include:
You may also be treated for the underlying cause of your intracranial pressure, which could be an infection, high blood pressure, tumor, or stroke. What are the complications of ICP?ICP has serious complications, such as:
Can ICP be prevented?You can reduce your risk of certain underlying conditions that may lead to ICP such as high blood pressure, stroke or infection. If you have any of the symptoms, get medical attention immediately. When should I call my healthcare provider?Call your doctor or 911 if you have any of the symptoms listed:
Key points about increased intracranial pressure (ICP)
Next stepsTips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
What position is best for increased intracranial pressure?In patients with raised ICP, it is a common practice to position the patient in bed with the head elevated above the level of the heart. Kenning, et al.,4 reported that elevating the head to 45° or 90° significantly reduced ICP. However, some studies suggest that head elevation may also lower the CPP.
Should you elevate the bed for ICP?Raising the head-of-bed by 30 degrees reduces ICP and improves CPP without compromising cardiac output in euvolemic patients with traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Which among the following positions is not appropriate for client's with increased intracranial pressure?Question 24 Explanation: The head of the client with increased intracranial pressure should be positioned so the head is in a neutral midline position. The nurse should avoid flexing or extending the client's neck or turning the head side to side.
How do you manage intracranial pressure?How is ICP treated?. Medicine to reduce swelling.. Draining extra cerebrospinal fluid or bleeding around the brain.. Removing part of the skull (craniotomy) to ease swelling (though this is rare). |