The Treatment of Head Injuries

Head Injuries

A combination of multiple injury types are typically involved in combat-related head injuries. Innovations in firearms, has led to new types of brain injuries from which we are able to learn much about how the brain responds to trauma. Traumatic brain injury is physical injury to brain tissue that temporarily or permanently impairs brain function. Initial treatment consists of ensuring a reliab...

Evaluation of hyperventilation in treatment of head injuries.

Reduction of the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood by mechanical hyperventilation (Pco(2) 25-30 mm Hg; Po(2) 100-150 mm Hg) may be beneficial in cases of severe head injury. To evaluate its efficacy and establish prognostic guidelines intracranial pressure, radiocirculograms, and cerebrospinal fluid (C.S.F.) lactate levels were studied in 31 patients. In survivors intracr...

Head injuries.

In summary, the broad term "head injury" represents a large variety of more specific injuries. In order to anticipate and plan appropriate patient care, nurses need information regarding the cause of injury, the impact site, and the patient's clinical course in addition to current assessment findings. The nurse must also anticipate sequelae from secondary brain injury due to hypoxia, edema, inc...

Severe Head Injuries in Children: Treatment of Long-range Outlook.

Overview of head injuries.

Serious injury to the head is a national health problem with enormous emotional, fiscal, and physical consequences. For this special issue of PHYSICAL THERAPY, serious head injury is defined as trauma to the head with presumed brain involvement. Complete statistical data about head injury in the United States are not available. In the last decade, two national surveys have been done to determin...