28. Head and Spine Injuries

Question 1

inability to remember events after an injury

Answer 1

anterograde (post traumatic) amnesia

Question 2

injuries in which the load is applied along the vertical or longitudinal axis of the spine, which results in load being transmitted along the entire length of the vertebral column

Answer 2

axial loading injuries

Question 3

usually occur following diffuse impact to the head (such as falls, motor vehicle crashes); generally result from extension of a linear fracture to the base of the skull and can be difficult to diagnose with a radiograph

Answer 3

basilar skull injuries

Question 4

bruising behind an ear over the mastoid process that may indicate a skull fracture

Answer 4

battle sign

Question 5

swelling of the brain

Answer 5

cerebral edema

Question 6

injury in which the brain has been injured but the skin has not been broken and there is no obvious bleeding

Answer 6

closed head injury

Question 7

a temporary loss or alteration of part or all of the brain’s abilities to function without actual physical damage to the brain

Answer 7

concussion

Question 8

dual impacting of the brain into the skull; coup injury occurs at the point of impact; countercoup injury occurs on the opposite side of impact, as the brain rebounds

Answer 8

coup-contrecoup injury

Question 9

an accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura mater

Answer 9

epidural hematoma

Question 10

a head position in which the patient’s eyes are looking straight ahead and the head and torso are in line

Answer 10

eyes forward position

Question 11

the recommended procedure for moving a patient with a suspected spinal injury from the ground to a long backboard or other spinal immobilization device

Answer 11

four-person log roll

Question 12

the cushion that lies between two vertebrae

Answer 12

intervertebral disk

Question 13

bleeding within the brain tissue (parenchyma) itself; also referred to as an intraparenchymal hematoma

Answer 13

intracerebral hematoma

Question 14

the pressure within the cranial vault

Answer 14

intracranial pressure (ICP)

Question 15

actions of the body that are not under a person’s conscious control

Answer 15

involuntary activities

Question 16

account for 80% of skull fractures; also referred to as non displaced skull fractures; commonly occur in the temporal-parietal region of the skull; not associated with deformities to the skull

Answer 16

linear skull fractures

Question 17

three distinct layers of tissue that surround and protect the brain and the spinal cord within the skull and the spinal canal

Answer 17

meninges

Question 18

injury to the head often caused by a penetrating object in which there may be bleeding and exposed brain tissue

Answer 18

open head injury

Question 19

an injury to the brain and its associated structures that is a direct result of impact to the head

Answer 19

primary (direct) injury

Question 20

bruising under the eyes that may indicate a skull fracture

Answer 20

raccoon eyes

Question 21

the inability to remember event leading up to a head injury

Answer 21

retrograde amnesia

Question 22

the after effects of the primary injury; includes abnormal processes such as cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, and infection; onset is often delayed following the primary brain injury

Answer 22

secondary (indirect) amnesia

Question 23

bleeding into the subarachnoid space, where the CSF circulates

Answer 23

subarachnoid hemorrhage

Question 24

an accumulation of the blood beneath the dura mater but outside the brain

Answer 24

subdural hematoma

Question 25

a traumatic insult to the brain capable of producing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and vocational changes

Answer 25

traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Question 26

actions that we consciously perform, in which sensory input or conscious thought determines a specific muscular activity

Answer 26

voluntary activities