Head Injury Research Paper

Head injuries can be fatal or may cause permanent disability or damage to the brain if it is not identified and treated in a timely manner. A CT scan within one hour after a traumatic event will allow for rapid treatment and improve the outcomes for people with head injuries that have damaged the brain. When used appropriately, the benefits of a CT scan far exceed the risks. CT scans can provide detailed information to diagnose, plan treatment for, and evaluate many conditions in adults and children. Computed Tomography imaging also known as CT or a CAT scan, combines a series of x-ray images taken for different angles and uses computer processing to create cross- sectional images also known as slices of the bones, blood vessels, and soft

A concussion is a type of injury to the head that may causes a sudden loss of awareness or alertness for a few minutes up to a few hours after the traumatic event. A skull fracture is a break in the skull bone. There are four major types of fractures. Linear fracture is the most common factures, the bone breaks but does not move. The patients are usually placed under observation for a short amount of time then they can resume normal activities. Depressed skull fractures are when part of the skull is actually sunken in due to the trauma. Depending on the severity surgical intervention may be required. Diastatic skull fractures occur along the suture lines in the skull. The sutures are areas in between the bones that fuse during childhood, these types of fractures are usually seen in newborns and infants. The last being Basilar skull fracture which is the most serious type. It involves a brake in the bone at the base of the skull. These patients are considered critical and will require close observation in the

There are several different types of ICH, also known as blood clots, in or around the brain. These can range from mild head injuries to very serious and life threating. An epidural hematoma occurs when a blood clot forms underneath the skull on top of the dura, which is the covering that surrounds the brain. It is caused by a tear in an artery that runs just under the skull called the middle meningeal artery. This type of hematoma is usually associated with a skull fracture. A subdural hematoma occurs when a blood clot forms underneath the skull and dura matter but outside of the brain. These can form from a tear in the veins that lead from the brain to the dura or from a cut on the brain itself. A contusion or intracerebral hematoma is a bruise on the brain itself. This type of ICH causes bleeding and swelling inside the brain around the area where the head was struck. a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are fairly common and are usually caused by shaking of the brain back and forth, which can happen in motor vehicle accidents or from falls. Injuries range from mild such as a concussion to very severe as in a DAI. Patients who suffer from a DAI are usually in a coma for a prolonged period of time, with injuries to many different parts of the