Increased Intracranial Pressure and Cushing's Triad

10 Dec 2023 · 1 min

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In this brief educational video, the speaker explains that increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is a medical emergency that requires immediate nursing intervention. The core focus is on Cushing's triad, the classic physiological response to elevated ICP, which includes a widening pulse pressure, a decreased heart rate (bradycardia), and irregular respiration. Recognizing these hallmark signs alerts clinicians to the presence of dangerously high ICP and prompts urgent treatment.

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Talk about increased intracranial pressure, specifically Cushing's triad. So what happens during ICP is that there's pressure increased inside the cranium, so it puts pressure on the brain. Now, this is absolutely a medical emergency. You need to treat it right away as a nurse. And so Cushing's triad is what you will want to be looking for. It's when there's a widening pulse pressure, a decreased heart rate, and irregular respiration. So that is, those are the hallmark signs of Cushing's triad, and it is a medical emergency, and it indicates increased intracranial pressure.