Articles Tagged with head injury

Traumatic brain injury can certainly cause devastating results, however sometimes inspiration results as well, as shown in these videos.

National champion cross-country skier recovers from massive head injuries and seven-week coma following a motor vehicle collision:

People who have sustained catastrophic injuries (and their families) are often in need of precise, specialized information regarding the injury suffered, the latest care and support options, research into new treatment options, and the psychological and emotional support that can come from connecting with other people who have suffered similar losses.  For some of the categories of catastrophic injuries, the following resources may be helpful:

resources for catastrophic injuriesBurn Injury Resources

The first study looks at the total count per year of spinal injuries in automobile crashes using data from 1994 to 2011. It looked at the rate of spinal cord injuries and fracture-dislocations of the vertebrae. Data from 1994-2011 was used to determine the rate of spine injuries for drivers and front seat passengers involved in a crash.

There were greater than 5,500 fracture dislocations and slightly more than 100 spinal cord injuries per year from automobile accidents. Most injuries occurred with collisions involving frontal impacts or vehicle rollovers; the least happened in rear accident. The overall rate in all accidents for spinal cord injury was at 0.054 percent and the greatestrate occurred in rollovers at 0.22 percent. For fracture dislocations of the spine, the greatest rate was 1.55 percent while the lowest rate was at 0.065 percent in rear impact accidents. Seat belt use gave an 81 percent effectiveness of reducing spinal cord injuries. The area where most injuries occurred was the C-spine (or cervical spine) which accounted for 66.3 percent of all injuries, while the thoracic spine accounted for 30.5 percent and the lumbar spine accounted for 3.2 percent. Serious head injuries happened 13.3 times more frequently than spinal cord injuries.

Head_CT_scan.jpgIn some cases, patients sustaining trauma to the head and neck area will have both closed head injuries and maxillofacial trauma. Of the two, closed head injuries are more severe and need to be managed before the maxillofacial trauma is treated. Patients with closed head injuries can have intracerebral hematomas, subdural hematomas or epidural hematomas. Each of these blood clots can increase in size and can cause excess pressure on the brain. This can lead to semiconscious states or coma and, in severe cases, they can cause herniation of brain tissue through the foramen magnum at the base of the brain. Such a condition is almost uniformly fatal because the patient is unable to breathe on their own and have instability of pulse and blood pressure.

The recommendation of most physicians who suspect an intracranial injury when a maxillofacial injury is noted gives the patient a CT scan of the head and face. This CT scan will determine the presence of bleeding, swelling and blood clots in the brain and will demonstrate any skull fractures or facial fractures. When the brain is stabilized through surgery or other modality, then the maxillofacial fractures, contusions, and lacerations can be managed secondarily.

Unfortunately, kids can be involved in motor vehicle accidents. Hopefully, they are properly restrained and have no problems following an accident. However, some accidents are so severe or if the child is unrestrained, the result can be serious injury, including head injuries in these kids. Head injury happens to be the most common fatality or cause of death in children who are occupants in cars, trucks or other vehicles. There is a great deal of morbidity of death. There are nonlethal injuries related to motor vehicle accidents and they are of great importance clinically. Doctors and researchers want to know the best way to manage these situations so children survive these injuries with a minimum of damage to their body and brains.

The purpose of a recent study was to identify the risk factors for and frequency of significant injury to children who are occupants in a motor vehicle crash. A large surveillance system was established with regard to crashes that was linked to insurance claims information in automobile accidents. A telephone survey was done to obtain the data. Incidents that qualified for the survey were those involving 1990-year cars or newer involved in crashes that had at least one child involved in the crash. The individual needed to be aged 4 to 15 years and the crash had to happen in one of fifteen total states. Data were collected between March of 2000 and December of 2007. A sampling of crashes was collected to undergo the telephone interview which was done with the driver of the car that was the insured vehicle.

Head injuries, particularly traumatic brain injuries, are a common complication of motor vehicle accidents; some people recover fully from their traumatic brain injury or have minimal complications, while other sustain a permanent disability from their accident.

One study looked at the self-reporting of health complications and other factors affecting a person’s health after a motor vehicle accident. The study was a population-based and cross-sectional study of mild traumatic brain injury patients who sustained their injury from a traffic-related event. The events occurred between December 1, 1997 and November 31, 1999 in Saskatchewan.

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