Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Brain/Head Injury (Head Trauma (Diffuse Injury (In a diffuse injury damage…
Brain/Head Injury
Head Trauma
Diffuse Injury
In a diffuse injury damage to the brain cannot be localised to one area. Example of diffuse injury is; concussion.
Signs & Symptoms: brief LOC, amnesia and headache
Diffuse Axonal Injury
DAI is damage surrounding axons in the subcortical white matter within the cereal hemispheres, the basal ganglia, thalamus and brainstem.
Clinical signs: decree LOC, increased ICP, decortication or decerebration and global cerebral oedema.
Focal Injury
Focal injury consists of lacerations, contusions, haematomas and cranial nerve injuries. Focal injuries range from minor to severe.
Lacerations - tearing of the brain tissue. Associated with depressed and open fractures and penetrating injuries.
Contusion - bruising of the brain tissue. Associated with a closed head injury
Complications
Intracerebral Haematoma
Intracerebral hematomas occurs as a result of bleeding within the brain tissue. Occurs in 16% of head injuries. Occurs within the frontal and temporal lobes as a result of a rupture of intracerebral vessels.
Subdural Haematoma
A subdural haematoma is a result of bleeding between the dura matter and the arachnoid layer of the meninges. Occurs as a result of injury to the brain tissue and its blood vessels. May be acute, subacute or chronic.
Acute Subdural haematoma - manifest within 24-48hrs of the initial injury. Signs & Symptoms; decrease LOC and headache, drowsy, confusion and unconsciousness
Subacute subdural haematoma - manifests within 2-14 days of the initial injury.
Chronic subdural haematoma - develops over weeks-months following a minor head injury
Epidural Haematoma
Epidural haematoma occurs as a result of bleeding between the dura and the inner surface of the skull. Characterised as a neurological emergency and is caused by a tear due to a linear fracture crossing a major artery in the dura. Origin = venous or arterial.
Signs: Period of unconsciousness, lucid interval followed by a decrease in LOC. Headache, nausea and vomiting.
Requires surgical intervention and medical management.
Skull Fractures
A skull fracture is a break in the cranial bone/skull. These frequently occur with head trauma. Skull fractures are characterised by; 1) liner or depressed. 2) Simple, comminuted or compound. 3) Closed or open. Fracture location determines the signs and symptoms.
Frontal Fracture: CSF rhinorrhoea or pneumocranium.
Orbital Fracture: Periorbital ecchymosis, optic nerve injury.
Temporal Fracture: Boggy temporal muscle, oval-shaped bruise behind ear, CSF otorrhoea, middle meningeal artery disruption, epidural haemotoma
Parietal Fracture: Deafness, CSF, brain otorrhoea, bulging of tympanic membrane, facial paralysis, loss of taste & battle signs.
Posterior fossa fracture: Occipital bruising = cortical blindness, visual field defects & appearance of ataxia.
Basilar skull fracture: CSF, brain otorrhoea,bulging of tympanic membrane = CSF, battle sign, hearing difficulties, rhinorrhoea, facial paralysis, conjugate deviation of gaze & vertigo.
Types of Skull Fractures.
Linear - Break in continuity of bone.
Depressed - Inward indentation of skull
Simple - Linear or depressed skull fracture without fragmentation or communicating lacerations.
Comminuted - Multiple linear fractures with fragmentation of bone into many pieces.
Compound - Depressed skull fracture and scalp laceration with communicating pathway to intracranial cavity.
Scalp Lacerations
External scalp laceration due to head trauma. Due to the scalp containing a large number of blood vessels most scalp lacerations are associated with profuse bleeding as a result of poor constrictive abilities.
Complications - Blood loss & infection.
Head injury is defined as any trauma/injury to the scalp, skull or brain.