Essay On Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury occurs when a person is hit in the head with a blunt force. This significant force to the head can happen playing recreational sports, on the playground, being in a car or motorcycle accident, falling down at home and your head impacting something, a blast or explosion. Traumatic brain injuries are also the leading cause of fatality rate and disability, especially in children, young adults and elderly. TBI is a devastating condition that affects millions of people nationwide, because it can affect the nervous system permanently, it also messes with the neurological, musculoskeletal, cognitive and much more. TBI force a family to deal with not just the physical disability, with the behavioral and emotional roller

How an injury to the head can do damage to the brain varies. Brain swelling and disruption of blood supply are some direct causes of damage (Kolb & Whishaw, 2009). However, neurological damage develops after (also known as secondary injuries) the immediate moment of impact (Ghajar, 2000). In other words even minor head injuries can lead to lasting disabilities and that the injuries are amassed. Meaning that a minor injury can result in a major impairment (Ponsford, Sloan, & Snow, 2012).

A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can

The human brain is extremely fragile and “any bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain” is considered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) (CDC quote). As an inpatient rehabilitation nurse, TBI 's are a large percentage of the patient population and are continuously growing. All brain injuries are different and unique from one another, but brain injuries could affect everything from a person’s memory and reasoning, to their sensations, their ability to communicate, or even their personalities or feelings. Brainline.org is a website that was found through Google and is made available for the public to offer information and resources “about preventing, treating, and living with TBI” (about us). BrainLine states that their purpose is to serve those who have been affected by TBI, either it be the person themselves, their families, or the healthcare professionals caring for them. (BrainLine).

Considering no two brain injuries are the same, treatment is stipulated accordingly. In the case of mild injury management, it is fairly low maintenance, requiring a lot of rest and over-the-counter pain medicine. However, the patient must be monitored religiously in case of worsening or new symptoms where immediately medical attention is vital. Once cleared by a doctor, the patient steadily returns to their normal schedules. Immediately after moderate and severe injuries, treatment is concentrated on prevention of secondary damage resulting from inflammation, bleeding, or reduced oxygen supply to the brain. Medications prescribed to diminish chance of secondary loss include diuretics, anti-seizure drugs, and coma-inducing drugs. Surgery is crucial in removing hematomas (clotted blood), repairing skull fractures, and opening a window in the skull in order to relieve pressure and allow room for swelling. A large part of treatment is rehabilitation. The goal is to get patients back to their normal daily routines. Rehab usually

Traumatic brain injuries can vary in their severity. In the case of mild brain injury, full recovery is possible. On the other hand, severe brain injury can be fatal or cause permanent disabilities, the type of which depend on the affected area of the brain. A head injury is usually obvious because of visible wounds to the head. However, the coup-contrecoup brain injury may occur without any exterior damage to the head or skull. The victim may first feel a headache, but because there's no evidence of a head injury, the coup-contrecoup may go undiagnosed and death may occur in a matter of hours or days.

I am writing to you concerning the new trainings that will take place on how to deal with concussions. Foremost, I will discuss how the brain is affected by an impact. The brain can be seriously injured when there is a blow to the skull. A coup injury occurs immediately under a site where there has been an impact. Contrastingly, a countrecoup injury is an impact that occurs on the reverse side that brings a person's head to a sudden stop, thus causing the brain to hit the skull.

What the TBI victim goes through is horrific. Traumatic brain injury can cause a wide range of functional issues, short-term or long-term. It can affect thinking, sensation, language, or emotions (CDC). The long term damage of TBI’s can result in permanent damage that can change the person’s deficits to varying degrees, especially long

There are countless mTBIs that are not only misdiagnosed but also unreported by the patients. One of the most problematic issues concerning treatment of mild traumatic brain injury is patient willingness to report. Many athletes tend to not report problems after a head injury for fear of not being able to play in a game or continue playing their sport. Men and women of the armed forces are also guilty of not reporting head trauma due to social norms. This lack of awareness of the risk involved can be very

People in West Virginia, and throughout the U.S., commonly suffer traumatic brain injuries. In 2010, patients were diagnosed with these types of injuries in 2.2 million emergency department visits, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Generally, occurring when people suffer a blow, bump or jolt to their bodies or heads, traumatic brain injuries may be caused by any number of factors. This may include motor vehicle collisions, falls, assaults, and other types of accidents. Regardless of how they are sustained, these types of injuries may have lasting implications for those who suffer them, and their families.

Everyone is at risk for a traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially children and older adults. The severity of a TBI case may range from mild, which is a brief change in mental status or consciousness to moderate/severe, which is an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. Mild TBI is the most prevalent TBI and is characterized by unconsciousness and/or confusion and disorientation for less than 30 minutes caused by the forceful motion of the head or impact. While MRI and CAT scans are often normal, the individual may have mental problems such as headache, difficulty thinking, memory problems, attention deficits, mood swings and frustration. All of these injuries are often overlooked but they are extremely important to

Closed head injuries are caused by blunt trauma in which a concussion, contusion, and laceration to the brain may result. The most severe of the closed head injuries is anoxal injury (diffuse type). Diffuse anoxal injury is used related to high speed acceleration/deceleration as with automobile accidents. (Workman, 2006). With this type of injury there is significant damage to the axons in the white matter. Lesions may be found in the corpus callosum, midbrain, cerebellum and upper brainstem. Depending on the severity, small areas of hemorrhage followed by possible enlargement of the lateral ventricles may be detected on CT scan. For severe cases, the majority present in a coma. Survivors usually require long term care.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when there is a damage in the brain a result of physical trauma. TBI may be caused by a penetrating (open) head injury, in which an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue, or a closed head injury, in which the skull is not breached, and frequently results in the major long-term disability of individuals surviving head injuries.(7) Cranial firearm wounds often result in severe injury to the brain and related central nervous system (CNS) structures.(17). Although penetrating head trauma is less prevalent than closed head trauma, PBI carries a worse prognosis with high morbidity and mortality rates. Understanding of the mechanisms of injury and aggressive medical management with rapid surgical intervention may lead to improved outcomes.(8)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), or intracranial injury, is a medical diagnosis which refers to closed or penetrative damage to the brain that is caused by an external source. Every year, TBIs affect approximately 150-250 people in a population of 100,000 (León-Carrión, Domínguez-Morales, Martín, & Murillo-Cabezas, 2005). The leading causes of TBI are traffic accidents, work injuries, sports injuries, and extreme violence (León-Carrión et al., 2005). TBI is most often fatal when the cause is an injury due to the use of firearms, a traffic accident, or a long fall (León-Carrión et al., 2005). However, fatality rates and rates of occurrence differ in various countries due to

There are several national and local support groups available to help families deal with their life changes. Nationally there is the Brain Injury Association of America who is a “ leading national organization serving and representing individuals, families and professionals who are touched by a life-altering, often devastating, traumatic brain injury” (2010).