Abstract
This review refers to brain tissue oxygen monitoring as part of multimodal monitoring completing current monitoring of intracranial pressure and jugular oxymetry. Brain tissue oxygen monitoring brings additional data about the condition of the brain.
The pathophysiology of the brain injury, the mechanisms of origin of secondary brain injury including disorders of oxygenation and common principles of treatment and prevention of secondary brain injury are explained in the article. Differences between global and local monitoring of oxygenation are described.
The clinical part describes the application and placement of the sensor into the brain tissue and the options for specific therapeutic intervention. Also the technical principles of the monitoring system, of the determination of the normal and pathologic values of brain tissue oxygen and the interpretation of the measured oxygen values are explained.
Brain tissue oxygen monitoring can be useful in the treatment of brain trauma, in spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage and in brain aneurysma surgery.