My IRB has been asked to review an emergency room drug study that would
involve serious head injury patients as subjects.  The nature of the injury
would mean that the patient could not give consent and there may or may not
be any relative available to consent.  I was told that the university medical
center had obtained a waiver for patient consent and gotten permission for
the surgeon to give consent for the patient.  The study drug is being tested
to see if it will help prevent secondary injury due to intracranial pressure,
so the study sounds fine.

What do you do or how would you handle this situation?  I have no clear cut
guidelines for this and can use any input you may have.