Year: 2008
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a microscopic or macroscopic injury to the brain\ncaused by external physical forces. Road traffic accidents, falls, sports injuries (i.e. boxing),\nrecreational accidents (i.e. parachute jumping), the use of firearms, assault, child abuse, and\nseveral rare causes e.g. the use of nail guns or lawn mowers have all been described as causes\nof TBI. The pathology of TBI can be classified by mechanism (closed versus penetrating);\nclinical severity (Glasgow Coma Scale) and structural damage (imaging e.g. CT-examination).\nIn most cases TBI is graded according to injury severity assessing the level of consciousness\nof the patient by, most frequently, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The GCS scores patients\nbased on their ability to open their eyes, perform limb movements and respond adequately to\nsimple questions (Teasdale and Jennett 1974) (see table 1). Mild TBI, e.g. a light concussion,\nis defined as a patient with a GCS of 13-15 possibly suffering from short-term memory and\nconcentration deficits (Rimel et al., 1981; Mosenthal et al., 2004). Moderate TBI is scored by\na GCS of 9-12, e.g. a lethargic and stuporous patient. A comatose patient, unable to open eyes\nor follow commands has been severely injured and has a GCS of 3-8.
Author: Doortje C. Engel
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Neurology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1778821341