Brain injury and skull fracture

Extract

• The possibility of an acute injury to the brain must be recognized in a patient with head injury.
• The possibility of an intracranial haemorrhage Traumatic cerebral haemorrhages1 must always be kept in mind. Computed tomography (CT) of the head is the primary investigation in establishing such a haemorrhage.
• The severity of the brain injury (mild, moderate, severe) is evaluated on the basis of the history of the events, the patient's clinical state and the findings (including imaging).
• Refer a patient in need of emergency treatment to a health care unit that has the possibility of performing a CT scan and providing intensive care. If the patient is transported to a hospital, make sure that the accompanying person has sufficient competence in emergency medical care.
• The level of consciousness and the general condition of the patient are monitored even if the brain injury is mild, until a severe intracranial injury is excluded.
• The patient’s overall condition and findings (level of consciousness, unconsciousness, memory gap, orientation, neurological findings) are recorded carefully, because they are important for organising long-term follow-up and from the insurance-juridical perspective.

Read full article of Brain injury and skull fracture

Search terms

Body Temperature, Brain Injuries, Child, Craniocerebral Trauma, Fractures, Open, Glasgow coma scale, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pupil, S02.0, S02.1, S06*, S09.7, Skull Fracture, Depressed, Skull Fractures, Surgery, Traumatology, anterior fossa fracture, basilar skull fracture, cerebrospinal fluid leak, eye-opening, impression fracture, level of consciousness, linear skull fracture, motor response, posterior fossa fracture, speech response