Effects of Head Elevation on Intracranial Pressure in Children

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Head Injury

Treatments: Procedure: Place HOB in alternate positions from 0-50 degrees.

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00636376

2002-1-2721

Details and patient eligibility

About

Head injury is the most common cause of mortality and acquired disability in childhood. It is common to elevate the head of patients at risk for increased intracranial pressure, although it is not clear if it is always beneficial. Every severe pediatric traumatic brain injured patient will have an optimal head position that prevents rising pressure in the brain.

Full description

Head injury is the most common cause of mortality and acquired disability on childhood. Management of children at risk for intracranial hypertension is both complex and increasingly controversial. Also, effect of head position on intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, adn cerebral venous outflow in the pediatric population has not been studied. We will examine the effect of head positioning on ICP, CPP, and cerebral venous outflow in pediatric patients at risk for intracranial hypertension. The hypothesis is that ICP will be reduced with improvement in cerebral venous outflow by each patient having their own optimal head position.

Enrollment: 18 patients

Sex: All

Ages: Under 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Neonates, children, and adolescents
• Intracranial pressure monitor in place

Exclusion criteria

• Severe multiorgan system failure
• Hemodynamic instability sufficient to preclude changes in head position

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

18 participants in 1 patient group

1

Experimental group

Description:

Single arm--no randomization. All subjects enrolled will have vitals collected and three ultrasounds at different levels of head of the bed elevations.

Treatment:

Procedure: Place HOB in alternate positions from 0-50 degrees.