HEAD OF BED ELEVATION AND INTRACRANIAL HYPERTENSION AFTER TRAUMATIC INCIDENT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injuries have numerous consequences, resulting in various disabilities or even the death of the person affected. One of the consequences is intracranial hypertension, which causes many of the alterations that can be felt by people and visualised by health professionals. Its treatment is extremely important in order to achieve a favourable outcome, in which the elevation of head of bed and the nurse's role in caring for the person with this problem stands out. Objective: Analyse the available scientific evidence on the use of the elevation of head of bed in the prevention of intracranial hypertension after a traumatic incident. Methodology: Systematic Literature Review, analysing articles published in the PubMed Central, PubMed, EBSCO and B-ON search engines and databases, using MeSH and DeCS descriptors, with a final selection of 4 articles and preparation according to American Psychological Association standards. Results: Studies describe numerous interventions that can be carried out, early and immediately, to prevent intracranial hypertension, where the elevation of head of bed stands out as the only non-pharmacological method. Conclusions: It was found that the elevation of head of bed is part of a bundle of interventions to prevent intracranial hypertension, although it is the only non-pharmacological method. There is no consensus on his key value, which is around 30º. The role of nurses is also highlighted, as they are able to plan, implement and evaluate this type of intervention as part of their independent interventions.