Method of treating traumatic brain injury

1. A method of treating a human subject suffering from traumatic central nervous system injury comprising administering to the human subject an amount of a perfluorocarbon effective to treat the subject, wherein the perfluorocarbon is perfluoro-tert-butylcyclohexane.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traumatic central nervous system injury is traumatic brain injury.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the traumatic brain injury is severe, non-penetrating traumatic brain injury.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject had a score on the Glasgow Coma Scale of 3-9 prior to the administration of the perfluorocarbon.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein after the administration of the perfluorocarbon, the subject's functional outcome is improved, the subject's probability of survival is increased, the oxygen tension in a neuronal tissue of the central nervous system of the subject is increased, the progression of damage to, or ischemic damage to, or secondary ischemic damage to the central nervous system of the subject is reduced, and/or the loss of neuronal tissue in the central nervous system of the subject is reduced.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the functional outcome in the subject is assessed by the Glasgow Coma Scale score or Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein oxygen tension is increased from below 25 mmHg to 27 mmHg or above.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein oxygen tension is increased by 10-50% relative to a subject not administered the perfluorocarbon.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein oxygen tension is increased for 24 hours or more.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is administered to the subject within 12 hours of the central nervous system injury.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering to the subject oxygen by inhalation, wherein the fraction of inspired oxygen is 21%-100%.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fraction of inspired oxygen is 50%.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the oxygen is hyperbaric.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the subject is administered oxygen for 2 hours before the administration of the perfluorocarbon.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the subject is administered oxygen for 24 hours after the administration of the perfluorocarbon.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is administered intrathecally.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is administered intravenously.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the perfluorocarbon administered is 0.1° C. to 5.0° C. below the subject's body temperature.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is in a perfluorocarbon emulsion.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion has a particle size of 0.3 microns or less.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion has a particle size of 0.05-0.1 microns.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion is an egg yolk phospholipid emulsion buffered in an isotonic medium.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion caries 43 ml of oxygen and 196 ml of carbon dioxide per 100 ml of perfluorocarbon emulsion.

24. The method of claim 19 , wherein 0.5-3.5 ml of perfluorocarbon emulsion per kilogram of subject's body weight is administered to the subject.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein 1.0-3.0 ml of perfluorocarbon emulsion per kilogram of subject's body weight is administered to the subject.

26. The method of claim 19 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion is administered to the subject at a rate of 10-20 ml/min.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the perfluorocarbon emulsion is administered to the subject at a rate of 15 ml/min.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is administered to the subject at a rate of 6.0-12.0 g/min.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the perfluorocarbon is administered to the subject at a rate of 9.0 g/min.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein 0.3-2.1 g of perfluorocarbon per kilogram of subject's body weight is administered to the subject.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein 0.6-1.8 g of perfluorocarbon per kilogram of subject's body weight is administered to the subject.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein the administration of the perfluorocarbon does not increase free radical generation in a neuronal tissue of the subject.

33. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering to the subject an anti-coagulant and/or anti-inflammatory.