JSNT-Guidelines for the Management of Severe Head Injury (Abridged edition).

The aim of this article is to introduce the principal part of the JSNT-guidelines for the management of severe head injury in adults. The JSNT-guidelines were developed in 2000 by the Guidelines Committee of the Japan Society of Neurotraumatology (JSNT) based on the results of literature review and the Committee consensus. The guidelines updated in 2006 consist of 7 topics pertaining not only to prehospital care, initial, ICU and surgical management, but also the management of pediatric and geriatric patients. The JSNT-guidelines are of practical nature accounting for the difference in the medical system and conditions in Japan, but in their essence they are similar to those of Western countries. Reports on the application of these guidelines indicate their positive affect on the results of management of severe head injury.