07a_Traumatic Brain Injury

Question 1

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Closed-head injury

Answer 1

Usually causes alteration or loss of consciousness

Some degree of anterograde or retrograde amnesia

Question 2

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Open head injury

Answer 2

Penetration of skull (e.g. by gunshot)

Usually does not cause loss of consciousness

Localized, damage-specific symptoms

Question 3

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Three Measures of Severity

Answer 3

Glasgow Coma Scale

Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA)

Loss of Consciousness (LOC)

Question 4

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Severe TBI timeline criteria

Answer 4

More than 24 hours of posttraumatic amnesia

More than 24 hours loss of consciousness

Question 5

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Moderate TBI timeline critera

Answer 5

1 to 24 hours posttraumatic amnesia

30 minutes to 24 hours loss of consciousness

Question 6

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Alteration of consciousness range of duration

Answer 6

Can last a few seconds, a few minutes, or persist for long period of time

Assessed with Glasgow coma scale

Question 7

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Alteration of Consciousness

Six Levels of Increasing Severity

Answer 7

Conscious

Confused

Delirious

Obtunded

Stuporous

Comatose

Question 8

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Disorientation

Answer 8

Results of diffuse cerebral injury

Order of reorientation: person, then place, then time

Question 9

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Memory Impairment

Answer 9

Measured by posttraumatic amnesia

PTA = Post-injury anterograde amnesia

PTA duration is good predictor of persistence of symptoms

Question 10

Traumatic Brain Injury:

PTA duration recovery timeline

Answer 10

80% recovery = 2 weeks or less

46% recovery = 4 to 6 weeks

Question 11

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Recovery timeline for most patients

Answer 11

First 3 months = Greatest amount of recovery

Considerable additional recovery through the first year

Question 12

Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS):

Prevalence

Answer 12

50% or more of individuals who experienced a mild TBI

Question 13

Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS):

Common Initial symptoms

Answer 13

Headache

Dizziness

Nausea

Blurred vision

Drowsiness

Question 14

Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS):

Subsequent Symptoms

Answer 14

Insomnia and fatigue

Tinnitus

Cognitive impairment

Irritability

Depression/anxiety

Question 15

Traumatic Brain Injury:

Most common areas of cognitive impairment

Answer 15

Memory

Attention

Concentration

Information processing speed