Dealing with Head injury

Head injury is visualized as a dangerous and lethal medical ailment among people. Though head injuries are found one of the main cause of loss of human life and disability around the globe but due to medical advancement, many patients who hit by head injuries are well treated and discharged from hospital.

It is observed that many people suffer from head injury at some point in their life or carry risk. It has been assessed that one in six people with a head injury needs hospital treatment.

There are numerous causes of head injury such as road traffic accidents, falls, accidents at work, accident during recreation/sport and assaults.

The symptoms of head injury may differ from almost none to loss of consciousness and coma. It is important to know that sometimes patients immediately do no show the symptoms when injury occurred.  When trauma is the cause of a brain injury, it may take time for enough swelling or bleeding to occur and then patient exhibit symptoms.

Patient with head injury exhibit array of symptoms such as:

Early symptoms include a change in mental status, meaning an alteration in the wakefulness of the patient. There may be loss of consciousness, tiredness, and confusion.

Major symptoms of head injury include:

-       Vomiting

-       Difficulty in tolerating bright lights

-       Leaking cerebrospinal fluid from the ear or nose

-       Bleeding from the ear

-       Speech difficulty

-       Paralysis

-       Difficulty swallowing

-       Numbness in the body

-       Nausea

-       Dizziness

-       Irritability

-       Difficulty in concentrating and thinking

-       Amnesia

An injury in brain affects all areas of human abilities, experiences, personality and bodily functions. Medically, it is stated that certain parts of the brain are specialized and are in charge of different functions. If person gets injury in one part, he/she may have specific problem such loss of movement in one arm whereas other functions such as memory and speech are well preserved. If injury is not localized and affected brain then many parts are affected and as a result, person may be disabled to perform multiple tasks. 

It is proven in medical reports that brain has some fluid to protect from slight exertion in daily movement but they are not adequate to shield against large forces. When head it hit from outside forces, the brain is thrown around inside the skull with immense pressure.

Head injury has three stages:

-      First injury: It is an initial impact that occurs within few seconds. First injury is different types such as closed head injury in which skull is not penetrated, an acceleration injury which occur when head is at rest and is suddenly thrown back or forward, deceleration injuries happen in case of car crash. Another type of first injury is rotation injury that occurs when head is suddenly turned around. These injuries should not be taken lightly as it may be associated with severe and deep injuries to the brain.

-      Second injury: This is determined by the medical condition of victim in the next few minutes or hours. In this condition, airways are blocked with blood so that brain and other parts of the body do not get enough oxygen.it can result in serious drop of blood pressure. This reduces the availability of oxygen and nutrients to the brain and resultant is the person dies.

-      Third injury: Consequences of initial trauma on the person’s brain and body over the next few days and weeks. This injury triggers in and around the brain which can make the condition worse. Person with this injury may be gripped under oedema, haematoma, meningitis. These ailments are lethal.

First aid for head injury:

-      In medical ailment of head trauma or injury, first step is to instantly call local emergency number for ambulance to get immediate medical help.

-      In the meanwhile, keep the person motionless. It is suggested to keep the injured person lying down until medical help arrives. The head and shoulders must be slightly raised. It is a warning that person should not be moved unless required, and avoid disturbing the person's neck. If the person is wearing a helmet, it is suggested not to remove it.

-      If injured person is continually bleeding, apply firm pressure to the wound with disinfected gauze or a clean cloth. It is strongly said that attendant should not apply direct pressure to the wound if there is possibility of skull fracture.

 Treatment method of head injury:

It is to inform to readers that if there is severe head injury then patients must be rushed to nearby hospital instead of giving first aid. It will lessen the risk of complications.

At initial stage, doctors may check whether airway is clear, examine breathing and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, stabilise patient’s neck and spine, stop any severe bleeding, provide pain relief if patient is experiencing pain, splint any fractured or broken bones.

Once the doctor thoroughly examines the patient and assured that condition is stable, he may recommend CT scan to determine the severity of injuries.

In case of hospitalization, doctors regularly check level of consciousness and how alert patient is, the size of pupils and how well he reacts to light, how well he can move his arms and legs, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and the level of oxygen in blood.

Neurosurgery is sometimes recommended to treat nervous system problems such as in a haemorrhage, a haematoma, cerebral contusions and skull fracture.

Craniotomy is another form of treatment for severe head injuries.

Preventive measures for head injury:

There are some preventive actions to lessen the risk of head injury.

-      It is recommended to wear a seat belt while sitting or driving a motor vehicle.

-      Person are not advised to drive when drunken or he is under some medication. 

-      Use a helmet while riding a bicycle, skateboard, motorcycle.

For elderly people, following preventive measures are advised to avoid falls:

-      They must install handrails in bathrooms.

-      Put a nonslip mat in the bathtub or shower.

-      Install handrails on both sides of staircases.

-      There should be proper lighting in the home.

-      Keep stairs and floors clear of clutter.

-      Visit doctor for regular vision and whole check-ups.

It is well recognized that head injury is the most serious challenge that families face because of its long lasting consequences. There are range of coping strategies to handle head injuries. Active coping strategies are more efficacious than strategies that involve avoidance.

Head injury suddenly occurs therefore people must be aware to deal with it. Scanning basic information may enable the person to avoid injuries that can be fatal.