Traumatic Brain Injury Essay - 1046 Words

Injury Stats Roughly 1.4 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury every year in the United States.1 Of these 1.4 million, 235,000 injuries are severe enough to require hospitalization—and 50,000 result in death. More than half (over 700,000) of all of these yearly brain injuries are from sports-related activities, falls, and physical assaults. In the year 2000, traumatic brain injury cost an estimated $60 billion in the United States, totaled in both direct medical fees and indirect costs such as lost productivity. Functions The brain is your body’s central processor, responsible for the critical functions that keep you alive: such as controlling your heart rate, breathing, and immune system. The brain also gets incoming†¦show more content†¦These secondary injuries can increase the pressure on the brain to dangerously high levels—quickly leading to permanent brain damage or death without immediate medical attention. Bleeding inside the skull, also called intracranial hemorrhage, is discussed below. Cerebral Concussion Even without physical damage to your brain’s tissue, a concussion can cause immediate unconsciousness, secondary injury, and even death. It is worth noting that you can also remain conscious during a severe concussion and still have secondary injuries. Surgery is usually not required for a concussion, and consciousness is typically regained within 72 hours (see Recovery, below). However, if blood vessels inside the skull are damaged, surgery will be required to stop the bleeding and excess pressure within the skull, and repair the damaged vessels. Cerebral Contusion A cerebral contusion is similar to a concussion, but usually involves a loss of consciousness, along with minor to moderate physical damage (bruising) to the brain tissue. Along with the initial damage to the brain, there is a risk of lethal secondary injury in any brain trauma. Surgery may be required to repair damaged tissues, including any blood vessels that may be bleeding and increasing the pressure within the skull. Diffuse Axonal Injury Diffuse axonal injury involves widespread (or diffuse), significant physical damage to your brain tissue andShow MoreRelatedA Traumatic Brain Injury 1708 Words   |  7 PagesA traumatic brain injury (â€Å"TBI†) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influencesRead MoreTraumatic Brain Injuries772 Words   |  4 PagesEffects may be long term or short term, depending on the gravity of the incident. 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