TBI Flashcards
Highest risk populations for TBIs (3)
Children
Older adolescence
Older adults
The leading cause of TBIs are
Falls
Lesion localized to the area of the brain under the site of the skull.
Focal lesion
Diffuse damage caused by acceleration, deceleration, and rotational forces.
Diffuse Axonal
The brain moving inside the skull during/after an impact may lead to this type of TBI:
Coup-Countercoup
Lack of oxygenated blood flow to the brain tissue causes this injury
Hypoxic-Ischemic injury
Three causes of a lack of oxygenated blood to the brain:
Systemic hypotension
Anoxia
Vascular damage
Three things that swelling and edema associated with the initial TBI can result in:
Increased ICP
Brain herniation
Death
7 consequences of a TBI:
Seizures
Hydrocephalus
Leakage of CSF
Infections
Damaged blood vessels in the brain
Cranial nerve injuries
Pain
Prognosis is dependent on several factors (5):
Duration of coma (if present)
Severity of coma in first 2 hrs post-injury
Duration of post-traumatic amnesia
Location and size of contusions, and hemorrhages in the brain
Severity of injuries to other body systems at time of TBI
What scale measures the severity of a coma?
The Glasgow Coma Scale
How is the Glasgow Coma Scale score interpreted?
8 or less severe
9-12 moderate
13-15 mild
Grade I concussion
Mild.
No loss of consciousness
Post concussion Sx lasting less than 30 min.
Grade II concussion
Moderate.
Loss of consciousness lasting less than a minute.
Post concussion Sx lasting longer than 30 min, less than 24 hrs.
Grade III concussion
Severe.
Loss of consciousness lasting more than a minute.
Post concussion Sx lasting longer than 24 hrs.
