Critical care management of head trauma in children.

Trauma is the leading cause of both morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, and traumatic injury causes > 50% of all childhood deaths. Significant mortality rates have been reported for children with traumatic brain injury. Although children have better survival rates as compared with adults with traumatic brain injury, the long-term sequelae and consequences are often more devastating in children due to their age and developmental potential. The costs involved in the care of a child with severe traumatic brain injury, extended over that child's lifetime, are significant. It is unfortunate that despite preventive measures, traumatic brain injury remains the major morbidity and mortality factor for children.