TBI Flashcards
what are the risk factors of a TBI?
sporting accidents & falls
Transport accidents
what are associated injuries with a TBI?
peripheral injuries: Chest, spinal, abdominal and limb injuries
Blood loss
Orthopaedic injuries
Bony deformity, leg length, discrepancy and pain
what causes bruising and internal damage to the brain?
direct blow to the head
-> bruising of the brain and internal tissue & blood vessels damage is due to coup-countrecoup
what is a healthy ICP range?
5-15 mmHg
decompressive craniectomy
removal of a bone flap from the skull, required in some severe cases of raised ICP
how do you determine ICP?
brain volume + cerebrospinal fluid + cerebral blood fluid =
what is coning?
medullary compression due to tonsillar herniation through the foramen magnum
- is important cause of respiratory arrest and death in patients with raised ICP
how to measure the severity of TBI?
the damage:
focal - confined to one area of the brain
diffuse - more than one area of the brain
diffuse axonal injury - nerve fibres are stretched, torn or shear-damage
mild concussion with transient symptoms
very severe injury resulting in death
what are the most frequently taken indicators of injury severity?
coma (depth and duration)
posttraumatic amnesia (PTA)
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)
most widely used measure of depth and duration of coma
3 subscales, giving a summates score of 3-15
Eye opening (rated 1–4)
Best motor response (rated 1–6)
Verbal response (rated 1–5).
what is a coma?
not obeying commands, not uttering words and not opening eyes
what is posttraumatic amnesia (PTA)?
period from the accident untill the person is orientated to his or her surroundings
how do you measure the length of PTA?
The Galveston Orientation Amnesia Test (GOAT)
The Westmead PTA scale.
what is cerebral perfusion pressure?
CPP = MAP - ICP
what is normal CPP?
100mmHg
