Chapter 26

Question 1

anterograde (posttraumatic) amnesia

Answer 1

Inability to remember events after an injury

Question 2

basilar skull fractures

Answer 2

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 (x-ray)

Question 3

Battle’s sign

Answer 3

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

Question 4

cerebral edema

Answer 4

Swelling of the brain

Question 5

closed head injury

Answer 5

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

Question 6

concussion

Answer 6

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

Question 7

connecting nerves

Answer 7

Nerves in the spinal cord that connect the motor and sensory nerves

Question 8

coup-contrecoup injury

Answer 8

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

Question 9

distraction

Answer 9

The action of pulling the spine along its length

Question 10

epidural hematoma

Answer 10

An accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura center

Question 11

eyes-forward position

Answer 11

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

Question 12

four-person log roll

Answer 12

The recommended procedure for moving a patient with a suspected spinal injury from the ground to a long backboard

Question 13

intervertebral disk

Answer 13

The cushion that lies between two vertebrae

Question 14

intracerebral hematoma

Answer 14

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

Question 15

intracranial pressure (ICP)

Answer 15

The pressure within the cranial vault

Question 16

involuntary activities

Answer 16

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

Question 17

linear skull fractures

Answer 17

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

Question 18

meninges

Answer 18

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

Question 19

open head injury

Answer 19

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

Question 20

primary (direct) injury

Answer 20

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

Question 21

raccoon eyes

Answer 21

Bruising under the eyes that may indicate a skull fracture

Question 22

retrograde amnesia

Answer 22

The inability to remember events leading up to a head injury

Question 23

secondary (indirect) injury

Answer 23

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

Question 24

subarachnoid hemorrhage

Answer 24

Bleeding into the subarachnoid space, where the cerebrospinal fluid circulates

Question 25

subdural hematoma

Answer 25

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

Question 26

subluxation

Answer 26

A partial or incomplete dislocation

Question 27

traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Answer 27

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

Question 28

voluntary activities

Answer 28

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