ABSTRACT
Background: Head-injured patients have traditionally been maintained in the head-up position to
ameliorate the effects of increased intracranial pressure (ICP). However, it has been reported that the 15
degrees head-up position may improve cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and outcome. We sought to
determine the impact of 30 and 15 degrees on intracranial pressure change.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with posttest only control time series time design. There
were 30 head-injured patients was selected using consecutive sampling, with 15 assigned in the treatment
(30° head-up position) and control group (15° head-up position). Intracranial pressure variable was
identified using the level of consciousness and mean arterial pressure parameters. Wilcoxon signed rank test
was used for data analysis
Results: Findings showed p-value 0.010 (<0.05) on awareness level and p-value 0.031 (<0.05) on mean
arterial pressure, which indicated that there was a statistically significant effect of the 30° head-up position
on level of awareness and mean arterial pressure.
Conclusion: There was a significant effect of the 30° head-up position on intracranial pressure changes,
particularly in the level of awareness and mean arterial pressure in patients with head injury. It is
recommended that for health workers to provide knowledge regarding this intervention to prevent increased
intracranial pressure.
Key words: Consciousness level, 30° head-up position, intracranial pressure, mean arterial pressure