What is brain trauma?
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – head injury and brain trauma are synonymous terms, meaning any brain injury produced by an external force.
- Main causes – car crashes, falls, sports and assaults. This is different from stroke, infection, cancer or other processes that can produce brain “injuries.”
What are the severity levels of TBI?
- Mild – Awake; eyes open. Also called a concussion. Symptoms can include confusion, memory, and attention difficulties, headache, and behavioral problems.
- Moderate – Lethargic; eyes open to stimulation. Some brain swelling or bleeding causing sleepiness, but still arousable.
- Severe – Coma; eyes do not open, even with stimulation. Associated with 20-50% death rate or severe disabilities. It is in this category that many lives can be saved by application of BTF’s TBI Guidelines.
Brain death: an irreversible cessation of measurable brain function.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): fluid that bathes and protects the brain and spinal cord.
Closed head injury: an injury that occurs when the head suddenly and violently hits an object but the object does not break through the skull.
Coma: state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease, injury, or poison.
Computed tomography (CT): a scan that creates a series of cross-sectional X-rays of the head and brain; also called computerized axial tomography or CAT scan.
Concussion: injury to the brain caused by a hard blow or violent shaking, causing a sudden and temporary impairment of brain function, such as a short loss of consciousness or disturbance of vision and equilibrium.
Contusion: distinct area of swollen brain tissue mixed with blood released from broken blood vessels.
Intracerebral hematoma: bleeding within the brain caused by damage to a major blood vessel.
Intracranial pressure: buildup of pressure in the brain as a result of injury.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a noninvasive diagnostic technique that uses magnetic fields to detect subtle changes in brain tissue.
Neuron: a nerve cell that is one of the main functional cells of the brain and nervous system.
Penetrating head injury: a brain injury in which an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue.
Penetrating skull fracture: a brain injury in which an object pierces the skull and injures brain tissue.
Vasospasm: exaggerated, persistent contraction of the walls of a blood vessel.
Vegetative state: a condition in which patients are unconscious and unaware of their surroundings, but continue to have a sleep/wake cycle and have periods of alertness.
Ventriculostomy: a surgical procedure that drains cerebrospinal fluid from the brain by creating an opening in one of the small cavities called ventricle.