An intelligent brain rescue instrument for identifying, monitoring, and guiding the application of brain therapies to patients with evolving brain injuries, includes an input for acquiring a multiple number of signals each indicative of a different biochemical or biophysical parameter of a patient, a computer to continuously sample each of the acquired signals and display to a user on a monitor at least some of the parameters, the displayed parameters being selected by system software embodying expert analytical rules as the most significant parameters, or as parameters having values indicative, or predictive at any time of actual, or potential future deterioration of the brain state of the patient.