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CNI NeuroTrauma Service
Patient Care
Traumatic Brain Injury
Did you know?
On an annual basis in the United States:
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1.5 million people sustain a TBI
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50,000 people die as a result of TBI
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80,000 people experience the onset of long-term disabilities following TBI
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A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI, however, and the severity of injuries can range from "mild," which involves a brief change in mental status or consciousness, to "severe," which involves an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury.
Injury Causes
Half of all TBIs are due to transportation accidents involving automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. These accidents are the major cause of TBI in people under age 75. For those 75 and older, falls cause the majority of TBIs. Approximately 20% of TBIs are due to violence, such as firearm assaults and child abuse, and about 3% are due to sports injuries. What's more, half of all TBI incidents involve alcohol use.
Common Symptoms
If you or someone you know has experienced any of the following symptoms following a bump on the head due to a vehicle accident, a sports injury, a fall or another injury, you should seek immediate medical attention:
- Loss of consciousness, sometimes occurring a few hours after the injury
- Dazed or confused feeling
- Memory loss
- Nausea or vomiting
- Partial paralysis
- Partial sensory loss
- New neck pain
- Numbness or weakness of the extremities
- Unusual or prolonged headache
- Bruising or discoloration around the eyes or behind the ears
- Blood or clear, watery fluids coming from the ears or nose
Resulting Problems and Conditions
A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function. In fact, 5.3 million Americans are currently living with a disability as a result of a TBI. Disabilities resulting from a TBI depend upon the severity of the injury, the location of the injury, and the age and general health of the patient. Some common disabilities include problems with the following brain functions:
- Cognition: thinking, memory, and reasoning
- Sensory Processing: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell
- Communication: expression and understanding
- Behavior or Mental Health: depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out and social inappropriateness
More serious injuries may result in:
- Stupor: An unresponsive state, but one in which an individual can be aroused briefly by a strong stimulus, such as sharp pain
- Coma: A state in which an individual is totally unconscious, unresponsive, unaware and unarousable
- Vegetative state: An individual is unconscious and unaware of his or her surroundings, but continues to have a sleep-wake cycle and periods of alertness
- Persistent vegetative state (PVS): Occurs when an individual stays in a vegetative state for more than a month
Complications
Sometimes, health complications occur in the period immediately following a TBI. These complications are not types of TBI, but are distinct medical problems that result from the injury. Although complications are rare, the risk increases with the severity of the trauma. Complications of TBI include:
- Immediate seizures
- Hydrocephalus -- A condition, often congenital, that is marked by abnormal and excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) – A water-like fluid produced in the brain that circulates around and protects the brain and spinal cord
- Infections
- Vascular (vein) injuries
- Cranial nerve injuries
- Pain
- Bed sores
- Multiple organ system failure in unconscious patients
- Polytrauma--trauma to other parts of the body in addition to the brain
Note: These injuries require immediate and specialized care and can complicate treatment of TBI and slow recovery. They may include pulmonary (lung) dysfunction, cardiovascular (heart) dysfunction from blunt chest trauma; gastrointestinal dysfunction, fluid and hormonal imbalances, and other isolated complications.
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