TBI Flashcards
What age demographics are most likely to sustain a TBI?
- Children ages 0 to 4 years
- young adults ages 15-24 years
- adults 65 years and older
- incidence is greater in males in all age groups
What are the parameters for loss of consciousness, alteration of consciousness, post traumatic amnesia, GCS score, and neuroimaging for a mild TBI?
loss of consciousness = 0-30min alteration of consciousness = brief < 24hrs post traumatic amnesia = 0-1d GCS score = 13-15 neuroimaging = normal
What are the parameters for loss of consciousness, alteration of consciousness, post traumatic amnesia, GCS score, and neuroimaging for a moderate TBI?
loss of consciousness = 30min - 24hrs alteration of consciousness = >24hrs post traumatic amnesia = 2-7d GCS score = 9-12 neuroimaging = normal or abnormal
What are the parameters for loss of consciousness, alteration of consciousness, post traumatic amnesia, GCS score, and neuroimaging for a severe TBI?
loss of consciousness = >24hrs alteration of consciousness = >24hrs post traumatic amnesia = >7d GCS score = 3-8 neuroimaging = normal or abnormal
What classifies as an open vs closed TBI?
Open = penetrating injury, dura compromised
Closed = non penetrating, dura uncompromised
primary issues of head trauma?
- Skull fracture
- Contusions of gray matter - coup or contrecoup (may lead to 2* issues)
- Diffuse white matter (axonal) damage
- Hematom
secondary issues of head trauma?
- Anoxia
- Ischemia
- Swelling/Increased intracranial pressure (ICP)
What kind of skull fx can occur?
- Linear
- Depressed
- Compound - breaks off
What are signs of a basilar fracture?
- Raccoon eyes – always bilaterally, bleeding at base of skull
- Battle’s sign – bruising behind ear; middle of the base fracture
What are features of an orbital fracture?
- eye socket
- unilateral bruising (usually)
- sometimes called a ”blowout” fracture
Severing of axons because of shearing forces caused by rapid rotational and acceleration/ deceleration movement; Sudden loss of consciousness - May be prolonged and cause coma; Main mechanism of injury in those with moderate or severe TBI; High mortality rate; Widespread microscopic damage (Often there are minimal findings on initial CT and MRI)
Diffuse white matter (axonal) damage
- see more decerebrate posturing - worst prognosis
What type of hematoma?
- Tear in the meningeal artery between skull and dura
- Usually from a focused blow to the head
- Fixed and dilated pupil on same side
- Emergency surgery
- Best prognosis if treated early
Acute epidural
What type of hematoma?
- Venous rupture between dura and the arachnoid
- High frequency of seizures
- Emergency surgery
- Poor prognosis
- High mortality rate
Acute subdural
What type of hematoma?
- Any location in the brain
- Arteries and veins
- Neurological deficits
- Poor prognosis
- High mortality rate
Intracerebral hematoma
- in the brain itself
- sx of a stroke, looks like hemorrhagic stroke
What does the following series of events cause?
- Starts with anoxia
- Leads to ischemic tissue damage
- Leads to body responding by compensatory vasodilation
- Leads to increased swelling and increased ICP resulting in anoxia
Secondary issues
- Cell death results from a chain of cellular events
- Develop over hours and days
What is normal ICP? When does it cause neurological damage and death?
Normal ICP is 5-20 mm Hg
20-40 mm Hg = may contribute to brain damage
> 40 mm Hg = neurological damage and death
- as it climbs over 20, something has to be done; may remove portion of skull if medication does not work
- may be monitored by ventriculostomy
What are clinical manifestations of ICP?
- Headache
- nausea
- drowsiness
- weakness
- papilledema
What causes brainstem damage?
Downward pressure on foramen magnum
- Caused from swelling and increased ICP
- cranial nerve damage occurs with injuries to base of the skull where the nerves emerge directly from brainstem