Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be a major public health problem. Proposed treatments have not withstood testing in clinical trials because of failure to account for different types of TBI and other weaknesses in trial design. Management goals continue to be prevention and prompt treatment of secondary insults (hypotension, hypoxia, and other physiologic derangements). This goal is best accomplished by careful attention to airway, breathing, circulation, and basic principles of intensive care unit management. Attempts to intervene prophylactically to prevent intracranial hypertension or other complications have not been beneficial and may even have deleterious effects.