Hospitalized patients are often moved from their rooms to other hospital locations, particularly imaging facilities. For patients with traumatic brain injury, such movements may raise the risk of secondary brain injuries. The purpose of this study is to monitor brain injured patients during transport and to measure the resulting changes in intracranial pressure. This will allow for documentation of the frequency of secondary injury and help in understanding their causes.

Secondary insults, such as hypoxia and hypotension, may worsen a brain injury. We hypothesize that secondary brain insults may occur frequently during in-hospital transport in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We additionally hypothesize that automated data collection devices used during transport could more reliably document the frequency of these events and help us to understand the causes. During transport of patients with TBI, intracranial pressure and arterial blood pressure will be continuously recorded to a monitor and saved for later analysis. Additional continuous measurements of pulse oximetry, end-tidal carbon dioxide, and mechanical ventilation settings will be made. The study will identify patients at risk for secondary insults, the etiology of these insults, and assist in development of a road map to prevent future incidents.

Inclusion Criteria:

• presence of traumatic brain injury and intracranial pressure monitoring
• requiring mechanical ventilation
• presence of an indwelling arterial catheter for monitoring blood pressure
• Age of at least 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age less than 18 years
• diagnosis of brain death
• non-English speakers
• prisoners
• mentally ill persons

Patients with traumatic brain injury