Chapter 26 Flashcards
anterograde (posttraumatic) amnesia
Inability to remember events after an injury
basilar skull fractures
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)
Battle’s sign
Bruising behind an ear over the mastoid process that may indicate a skull fracture
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 there 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
connecting nerves
Nerves in the spinal cord that connect the motor and sensory nerves
coup-contrecoup injury
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
distraction
The action of pulling the spine along its length
epidural hematoma
An accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura center
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 injury from the ground to a long backboard
intervertebral disk
The cushion that lies between two vertebrae
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
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
meninges
Three distinct layers of tissue that surround and protect the brain and the spinal cord within the skull and the spinal cord
open head injury
Injury to the head often caused 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 remember events leading up to a head injury
secondary (indirect) injury
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
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
subluxation
A partial or incomplete dislocation
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 consciously perform in which sensory input or conscious thought determines a specific muscular activity
