Chapter 28 Head and Spine Injuries Flashcards
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system and the:
Peripheral nervous system
Injury to the head and neck may indicate injury to the:
Cervical spine
Neck rigidity, bloody CSF, and headache are associated with that kind of bleeding in the brain?
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
In supine patients with a head injury, the head should be elevated _____ to help reduce ICP.
30 degrees
You respond to a 38 year old man who fell while rock climbing. He is unconscious with an open airway. The respiration and pulse rates are within normal limits. His distal pulses are intact. You check his pupils and find that they are unequal. You know this can be a sign of:
Increased ICP
Intracranial bleeding
The peripheral nervous system has _____ pairs of spinal nerves.
31
The _____ and _____ mater are the two inner layers of the meninges and are much thinner that the dura mater.
subarachnoid; pia
What is retrograde amnesia?
The inability to remember events leading up to a head injury
What is anterograde amnesia?
Inability to remember events after a head injury
What is a concussion?
Temporary loss of the brains ability to function without actual physical damage
The central nervous system is composed of the:
Brain and spinal cord
What part of the nervous system controls the body voluntary activities?
Somatic
What are the two most common causes of secondary brain injury?
Hypoxia and hypotension
In contrast to a cerebral concussion, a cerebral contusion:
Involves physical injury to the brain tissue
Hyperextension injuries of the spine are most commonly the result of:
Hangings
A man jumped from the rood of his house and landed on his feet. He complains of pain to his heels, knees, and lower back. This mechanism of injury is an example of:
Axial loading
Once a cervical collar had been applied to a patient with a possible spinal injury, it should not be removed unless:
It causes a problem managing the airway
You should be most suspicious that a patient has experienced a significant head injury if his or her pulse is:
Slow
The GCS is used to assess:
Eye opening, verbal response, and motor response
An indicator of an expanding intracranial hematoma or rapidly progressing brain swelling is:
A rapid deterioration of neurological signs
A tight fitting motorcycle helmet should be left in place unless:
It interferes with your assessment of the airway
A patient with a head injury presents with abnormal flexion of his extremities. What numeric value should you assign to him for motor response?
3
What is raccoon eyes?
Ecchymosis that develops around the eyes
What is battle sign?
Ecchymosis that develops behind the ear, over the mastoid process
What part of the skull is most susceptible to depressed skull fractures?
Fontal and parietal
What are the signs of ICP for Cushing reflex?
Increased systolic BP (hypertension)
Decreased HR
Irregular respirations
Suspect a head injury if the fall is more than ___ft for an adult and more than ___ft for peds.
20; 10
