Traumatic Brain Injury

Question 1

Define TBI.

Answer 1

• Application of external physical forces to brain that produce immediately apparent physiological disruption of brain function and/or structure; some kind of functional disability results

Question 2

4 examples of traumatically induced physiological disruptions of brain function

Answer 2

• loss of consciousness
• posttraumatic amnesia
• alteration in mental state
• focal neurologic deficits

Question 3

TBI is leading cause of what 3 things?

Answer 3

Coma, trauma-related disability, brain damage in kids/YA’s

Question 4

What are the two types of TBI?

Answer 4

Closed - acceleration/deceleration

Open - perforation of skull, dura mater

Question 5

What motion to the brain can really damage it?

Answer 5

Translation, rotation, and angular acceleration

not related as much to compression and linear motion as you might think

Question 6

What type of damage can strain and shear forces to brain produce?

Answer 6

Traumatic axonopathy

Question 7

Regardless of where the injury occurs on the head, which lobes of the brain are most commonly affected?

Answer 7

Anterior, frontal, and temporal lobes

Question 8

In diffuse (multifocal) axonal injury, what part of brain is most affected?

Answer 8

Upper brainstem, white matter of cerebrum (parasaggital), corpus callosum, gray-white junctions of cerebral cortex

Question 9

TBI can lead to what kind of cascade?

Answer 9

cytotoxic cascade

Question 10

What qualifies a TBI as severe?

Answer 10

GCS: 3-8

Question 11

What qualifies a TBI as moderate?

Answer 11

GCS: 9-12

Question 12

What qualifies a TBI as mild?

Answer 12

GCS 13-15

Question 13

What is LOC range for mild TBI?

Answer 13

less than 30 minutes

Question 14

What is PTA range for mild TBI?

Answer 14

less than 1 day