Head_Injuries

Head Injuries Head injuries are some of the most difficult injuries to manage in the pre-hospital setting. Head injuries account for about twenty five percent of trauma deaths and are a direct result of a force exerted on the skull and/or brain (Campbell 114). There are many types of head injuries divided into several categories: primary brain injuries, secondary brain injuries, concussions, cerebral contusions and structural injuries to the skull and scalp. All significant head injuries should be managed aggressively in the pre-hospital setting to provide the patient with the best clinical outcome. Primary brain injuries are a result of the initial damage to the brain tissue and a result of the force of the injuries (Campbell 115). Types of primary brain injuries include: gun shot wounds that penetrate the brain, depressing skull fractures that displace brain matter and any trauma to the head that results in the brain striking the inside of the skull. Common causes of primary brain injuries include rapid deceleration injuries such as head on motor vehicle collisions were the patient’s head strikes the windshield and the brain continues to travel forward and strikes the inside of the skull, this is known as “coup brain, injuries, campbell, head, icp, injury, skull, should, pressure, patients, trauma, patient, blood, secondary, price, cpp, 117, concussion, result, rapid, primary, management, consciousness, cause, assessment, treatment, signs, pre-hospital, perfusion, oxygenation, low, known, inside, herniation, early