Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, UK.
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether pretreatment with lignocaine (lidocaine) reduces the rise in intracranial pressure associated with intubation of head injured patients. Altogether 85 papers were found using the reported search, of which three presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results, and study weaknesses of these best papers are tabulated. A clinical bottom line is stated.