Brain Injury Flashcards
Traumatic brain injury epidemiology?
trauam is the most common cx of death 1-45yo - 50% head injury
Traumatic Brain Injury?
damage to the brain from external mechanical forces
Head vs brain injury?
Head: laceration of the head, scalp
brain: the BRAIN is injured
Traumatic brain injury cx?
direct impact (car accident and hit your head through the windshield) rapid acceleration or deceleration (brain sloshing around but not hitting the head anything) blast waves (military)
Traumatic brain injury classification?
Primary
Secondary
TBI - YA cx? Adults cx?
YA - MVA
Adults- falls
Primary injury: Intra-axial injury?
acceleration-deceleration injury
- shearing: axonal injury (the gray and white matter shear from going different directions)
- Coup/countrecoup: cerebral contusion (head injury from hitting the skulls: front and back)
Primary - extra-axial injury?
Direct for injury
- epidural: high impact –> fx –> arterial injury (min to hrs) –> lenticular shape –> recovery is ok b/c brain is separated
- subdural: lower force –> no skull fx –> injury to the vein –> crescent shape –> recovery is not so ok b/c brain is not separated
- subarachnoid: spontaneous or high force –> small vessels/Death Star –> THUNDERCLAP
Traumatic brain injury - hx?
mechanism (did they fall from the stairs, rug on the carpet, etc)
LOC - loss of consciousness (long or short?)
HA (secondary from brain trauma)
visual changes
focal neural complaints
neck pain (comes in together w/ brain injury)
seizures
Secondary traumatic brain injury?
molecular injury mechanisms that start from the beginning of the trauma but lasts for hrs or days
leads to neuronal cell death and cerebral edema and ICP to worsen brain injury
Traumatic brain injury - what PE do you do?
neuro exam
glasgoow coma scale
Traumatic brain injury - what are you looking for/PE?
external findings -hematomas, depresison, lacertions
signs of ICP
signs of basilar skull fx
Signs of ICP?
fixed/dilated pupils
decorticate/decerebrate
Cushing response (bradycardia, HTN, dec respiratory drive)
Cushing response?
DEC: heart and respiratory (parasympathetic tries to cancel out sympathetic)
HTN (sympathetic runs first - so HTN)
Basilar skull fracture?
battle sign raccoon eyes hemotympnum otorrhea rhinorrhea *blood mixed w/ CSF
TBI - dx studies?
CT scan (GCS<14, detects skull fractures, intracranial hematomas, cerebral edema) Lumbar puncture (detect blood in CSF, if CT is questionable for subarachnoid)
Traumatic brain injury- what can you use to estimate pt’s consciousness?
Glasgow coma scale
TBI classes
general rules
TBI - tx prehospital?
prevent hypotension and hypoxia (can cx secondary injury)
- isotonic crystalloids (normal saline)
-intubtion for GCS <8
backboard (Cspine)
TBI - tx ED?
1) maintain vitals (BP 90, 02 greater 60)
2) neuro exam w/ GCS
3 assess systemic trauma
4) check labs (CBC - not hemorrhaging GI, lytes, glucose, coags - pt on warfarin? BAD, ETOH-messes up GCS -> auto CT, DAS)
Severe TBI tx?
head elevation osmotic therapy (mannitol for hypertonic saline)
TBI -tx ICU?
monitor ICP
-maintain vitals (BP 90, 02 60)
-increased ICP (osmotic tx, hyperventilation, sedation)
limit secondary brain injury (seizure - phenytoin, fever - hypothermia, glucose - insulin therapy, coag - vitamin K, FFP)
TBI tx - surgery?
Burr hole
Craniotomy
TBI - prognosis?
severe - most likely to die
mild - good recovery