Acquired Brain Injury

Question 1

Acquired brain injury

Answer 1

a head injury that can include traumatic or non-traumatic injuries caused by stoke, tumors, substance abuse, environmental exposure, anoxia, genetic, congenital, and degenerative disease

Question 2

Traumatic brain injury

Answer 2

• a form of ABI following an external trauma to the head
• a TBI occurs when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain

Question 3

Contusion

Answer 3

bruising on the brain

Question 4

Hematoma

Answer 4

trauma to the blood vessels of the brain causing bleeding

Question 5

Diffuse axonal injury

Answer 5

• a condition that is associated with coma and poor outcome
• stretch or shear forces on the white matter
• shearing forces to corpus callosum and brainstem most commonly affected
• coma induced with a severe axonal damage in the midbrain reticular
  activating system (RAS)
• damage to RAS = loss of connection between body and central
  hemisphere
• axonal stretch contusion = brief loss of consciousness
• hypoxia vs anoxia: loss of O2 in the brain = stroke, cardiac arres

Question 6

Hypoxia

Answer 6

decreased oxygen to the brain

Question 7

Coup

Answer 7

damage occurring as the brain slides forward within the skull and impacts the inside of the skull

Question 8

Countercoup

Answer 8

when the brain/head rebounds from the initial force and either impacts an object or moves in the opposite direction

Question 9

Open brain injury

Answer 9

penetration of the skill

i.e., skull fracture, bullet

Question 10

closed brain injury

Answer 10

caused by a rapid forward or backward movement and shaking of the brain inside the bony skull that results in bruising and tearing of brain tissue and blood vessels.
i.e., concussion, hit on the head

Question 11

Dynamic loading injury

Answer 11

when there is a rapid acceleration and deceleration on the brain

Question 12

Static loading injury

Answer 12

crush injury

Question 13

Focal

Answer 13

result from brain contusions, lacerations, and masses of blood (hematoma)

Question 14

Diffuse

Answer 14

rapid movement of the head

Question 15

MOI

Answer 15

External mechanical forces that cause TBI include:

• blow to the head (fall on pavement, assault)
• acceleration-deceleration forces (no direct contact to the head = wearing a seatbelt and hitting a tree in a car)
• bullet
• concussive forces

Question 16

Traumatic ABI

Answer 16

• caused by something from outside of the body
• MVA, falls, assault, domestic violence, sports
• more diverse in nature than non- traumatic
• can have diffuse or focal axonal injury; wide spread damage

Question 17

Non-traumatic

Answer 17

• cause form inside the body or substance related
• stroke, aneurysm, tumor, seizure, infection, poisoning
• hypoxia, anoxia, or ischemia

Question 18

What does the glasgow coma scale (GCS) measure? what is the base score and what is the max?

Answer 18

• GCS measures disorders of consciousness.
• 6 is the base
• 15 is the max

Question 19

What are the disorders of consciousness? (5)

Answer 19

1. coma
2. vegetative state
3. minimally conscious state
4. post-traumatic confusional state
5. locked in syndrome