Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

"Brain injury referred to as traumatic brain injury (TBI), is defined as an alteration in brain function or other evidence of brain pathology caused by an external force. Acquired brain injury (ABI), is defined as an injury to the brain which is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative or induced by birth trauma. Today, any traumatic brain injury is an acquired brain injury, defined as any acquired disruption of brain function." Causes of TBI are trauma (open, closed, crushed, penetration: gunshot or knife wound, severe shaking or from contact sports), stroke (bleeding or a blocked artery), Anoxia (absence of oxygen), severe infection (meningitis, encephalitis), tumor (compression on the tissues causing malfunction), surgery (the actual cutting into a brain to remove a tumor or piece of the brain). …show more content…
Signs and symptoms can include; any period of loss of consciousness, any loss of memory, any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident like feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused and focal neurological deficits. Physical symptoms of brain injury include; nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, sleep disturbance, fatigue, lethargy, or other sensory loss. Cognitive deficits involve; attention, concentration, memory and speech/language. Behavioral changes or alterations in degree of emotional response such as; irritability, quickness to anger and disinhibition to name a few. Strokes are the third leading cause of deaths. We can identify a stroke using the F. (face)A. (arms) S. (speech) T (time) test; looking for a face droop when asked to smile, raising arms to see if one is weak, speaking out a simple phrase and if all symptoms are present then it's time to call