Ch. 29 Head and Spine Injuries Flashcards
Anterograde (posttraumatic) amnesia
Inability to remembere events after an injury.
Axial loading injuries
Injuries in which 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 colum; for example, falling from a height and landing on the feet in an upright position.
Basilar skull fractures
Fractures that usually occur following diffuse impact to the head (eg, 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.
Battle sign
Bruising behind an ear over the mastoid process that may indicate a skull fracture.
Central neurogenic hyperventilation
Abnormal breathing pattern associated with increased ICP that is characterized by deep, rapid, breathing; this pattern is similar to kussmaul respirations but without acetone breath odor.
Cerebral edema
Swelling of the brain.
Closed head injury
Injury in which the brain has been injured but the skin has not been broken and ther is no obvious bleeding.
Concussion
A temporary loss or alteration of part or all of the brain’s abilities to function without actual physical damage to the brain.
Coup-contrecoup injury
A brain injury that occurs when force is applied to the head and energy transmission through brain tissue causes injury to the opposite side of original impact.
Epidural hematoma
An accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura mater.
Eyes-forward position
A head position in which the patient’s eyes are looking straight ahead and the head and torso are in line.
Four-person log roll
The recommended procedure for moving a patient with a suspected spinal inrury from the ground to a long backboard or other spinal precaution device.
Intervertebrak disks
Tough, elastic structures between adjoining vertebrae that act as shock absorbers.
Intracerebral hematoma
Bleeding within the brain tissue (parenchyma) itself; also referred to as an intraparenchymal hematoma.
Intracranial pressure (ICP)
The pressure within the cranial vault.
Involuntary activities
Actions of the body that are not under a person’s conscious control.
linear skull fractures
Fractures that commonly occur in the temporoparietal region of the skull and that are not associated with deformities to the skull; accound for 80% on skll fractures; also referred to ass nondisplaced skull fractures.
Meninges
Three distinct layers of tissue that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord within the skull and spinal canal.
Open head injury
Injury to the head often causeed by a penetrating object in which there may be bleeding and exposed brain tissue.
Primary (direct) injury
An injury to the brain and its associated structures that is a direct result of impact to the head.
Raccoon eyes
Bruising under the eyes that may indicate a skull fracture.
Retrograde amnesia
The inability to rememberr events leading up to a head injury.
Secondary (indirect) injury
The aftereffects of the primary injury; includes the abnormal processes such as cerebral edema, increased ICP, cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, and infection; onset is often delayed following the primary brain injury.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Bleeding into the subarachnoid space, where the cerebrospinal fluid circulates.
Subdural hematoma
An accumulation of blood beneath the dura mater but outside the brain.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
A traumatic insult to the brain capable of producing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and vocational changes.
Voluntary activities
Actions that we consiously perform, in which sensory input or consious thought determines a specific muscular activity.
