Head Injury (cont.)
How is a Head injury treated?
The treatment of a head injury depends upon the type of
injury. For patients with minor head injuries, nothing more may be needed other
than observation and symptom control. Headache may require pain medication. Nausea and vomiting may
require medications to control these symptoms.
Bleeding
Intracerebral bleeding or bleeding in the spaces
surrounding the brain are neurosurgical emergencies, although not all bleeding
requires an operation. The
decision to operate will be individualized based upon the injury and the patient's medical status.
One option may include craniotomy, drilling a
hole into the skull or removing part of one of the skull bones to remove or
drain a blood clot, and thereby
relieve pressure on brain tissue.
Other times, the treatment is supportive, and there may be a need to monitor
the pressure within the brain. The neurosurgeon may place a pressure monitor
through a drilled hole through the skull to monitor the pressure. The slang term for this
procedure is "placing a bolt."
Supportive care is often required for those patients with significant amounts
of bleeding in their brain and who are in coma. Many times, the patient requires
intubation to help
control breathing and to protect them from vomiting and aspirating vomit
into the lungs. Medications may be used to sedate the
patient for comfort and to prevent injury if the bleeding causes combativeness.
Medications may also be used to try to control swelling in the brain if
necessary.
What is the prognosis for head injury?
The goal for the treatment of any patient is to return to the level of
function that they had prior to the injury. This maybe a challenge with head
injury, and the return of function depends upon the severity of the injury to
the brain.
Next: How can a head injury be prevented? »
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