Protecting the blossoming brain – Neurocritical care in children

Abstract This special issue of the Biomedical Journal is entirely dedicated to the latest updates regarding the medical efforts to preserve the fragile young brain after injury. Thereby, we learn about symptoms and diseases such as different forms of epilepsy, acute encephalopathy, increased intracranial pressure, and posthaemorrhagic hydrocephalus, as well as about their origins, such as infection, autoimmune diseases, preterm birth, or abusive head trauma. Moreover, diagnosis and surveillance techniques are discussed, including ultrasound of the optic nerve sheath diameter and multimodal monitoring. Finally, we discover various established and emerging therapeutic approaches, comprising target temperature management, ketogenic diet, and immunomodulation.