Chapter 28 Head and Spine Injuries Flashcards
Anterograde (Posttraumatic) Amnesia
Inability to remember events after an injury.
Axial Loading Injuries
injuries in which load is applied along the vertical or longitudinal axis of the spin, which results in load being transmitted along the entire length of the vertebral column; for example, falling from a height and landing on the feet in an upright position.
Basilar Skull Fracture
usually occur following diffuse impact to the head; generally result from extension of a linear fracture to the base of the skull and can be difficult to diagnose without a radiograph.
Battle Sign
Bruising behind the 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 injuries but the skin has not been broken and there is no obvious bleeding.
Concussion
temporary loss or alteration of part or all of the brain’s abilities to function without actual physical damage to the brain.
Coup- Countercoup Injury
dual impacting of the brain into the skull; coup injury occurs at the point of impact; countercoup injury occurs on the opposite side of the impact, as the brain rebounds.
Epidual Hematoma
an accumulation of blood between the skull and the dura mater.
Eye’s Forward Position
head position in which the patient’s eyes are looking straight ahead and the head and the head and torso are in line.
Four-Person Log Roll
the recommend procedure for moving a patient with a suspected spinal injury from the ground to a long board or other spinal immobilization device.
Intervertebral Disk
the cushion that lies between two vertebrae.
Interacerebal Hematoma
bleeding within the brain tissue itself; also called Intraparenchymal Hematoma
Intracranial Pressure (ICP)
the pressure within the cranial vault
Linear Skull Fracture
account for 80% of skull fractures; also referred to as non-displaced skull fracture; 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 spinal cord within the skull and spinal canal.
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; includes abnormal process such as cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, 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 Brian Injury (TBI)
traumatic insult to the brian capable of producing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and vocational changes.
