Objective To explore the effects of fluid management guided by pulse index continuous cardiac output (PICCO) technology on hospital stay and complications in patients with severe craniocerebral injury.

Methods A total of 90 patients with severe craniocerebral injury were divided into two groups according to different fluid management methods. Patients in control group (n=45) were treated with fluid management guided by central venous pressure (CVP) technology, while the patients in observation group (n=45) were treated with fluid management guided by PICCO technology. Scores of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) before treatment and 2 weeks after treatment were compared between the two groups; score of the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was compared between the two groups at 6 months after surgery; the average daily fluid volume, length of time in ICU and hospital stay were compared between two groups; death and complications in both group were recorded.

Results Two weeks after treatment, there was no significant difference in GCS score between the two groups (P>0.05); six months after operation, the GOS score of the observation group was lower than that of the control, but there was no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). The mortality in the observation group was 4.44% (2/45), which was lower than 6.67% (3/45) in the control group, but there was no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). The average daily fluid volume, length of time in ICU and hospital stay in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The total incidence of complications in the control group was 28.89%, which was significantly higher than 11.11% in the observation group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion PICCO technology can reduce the risk of complications in severe craniocerebral injury patients with fluid management, shorten length of time in ICU and hospital stay, and reduce the occurrence of complications such as pulmonary edema, acute lung injury and traumatic cerebral infarction.