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Head Injury Center - Smyrna, TN

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Smyrna, Tennessee

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Head Injury

Head injury introduction

Head injuries are one of the most common causes of death and disability in the United States. Every year, almost a quarter million people are hospitalized because of traumatic injuries to the brain, and 50,000 people die. As well, 80-90,000 people sustain long-term or lifelong disabilities because of a brain injury each year. Children are not excluded, with more than 2,500 deaths and almost a half million emergency department visits per year for head injuries.

Blows to the head most often cause brain injury, it is important to remember that the face and jaw are located in the front of the head. Brain injury may also be associated with injuries to these structures. It is also important to note that a head injury does not always mean that there is also a brain injury.

The brain is a rather soft, pliable material almost jelly-like in feel, and is surrounded by a thin layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The brain is surrounded by thin layers of tissue called the meninges; 1) the pia mater, 2) the arachnoid mater, and 3) the dura mater. The CSF is present in the space beneath the arachnoid layer called the subarachnoid space.

The dura mater is very thick and has septae, or partitions, that help support the brain in the skull. The septae attach to the inner lining of the bones of the skull. The dura mater also helps support the large veins that return blood from the brain to the heart.

The spaces between the meninges are usually very small but they can fill with blood when trauma occurs, and this build-up of blood can potentially press into the brain tissue and cause damage.

The skull protects the brain from trauma but it does not absorb any of the impact from a blow. Direct blows may cause fractures of the skull; there can be a contusion or bruising and bleeding to the brain tissue directly beneath the injury site. However, the brain can bounce aro...

Recommended Reading Related to Head Injury

Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) »

What is Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)?

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding condition in which the blood doesn't clot as it should. This is due to a low number of blood cell fragments called platelets (PLATE-lets).

Platelets also are called thrombocytes (THROM-bo-sites). They're made in your bone marrow along with other kinds of blood cells. Platelets stick together (clot) to seal small cuts or breaks on blood vessel walls and stop bleeding.

"Idiopathic" (id-ee-o-PATH-ick) means that the cause of the condition isn't known. "Thrombocytopenic" (throm-bo-cy-toe-PEE-nick) means there's a lower than normal number of platelets in the blood. "Purpura" (PURR-purr-ah) refers to purple bruises caused by bleeding under the skin.

Overview of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

People who have ITP often have purple bruises that appear on the skin or on the mucous membranes (for example, in the mouth)....

Emergency Contact for Smyrna

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Smyrna Hospitals *

StoneCrest Medical Center
200 StoneCrest Blvd
Smyrna, TN 37167
(615)768-2000

Alvin C York Veterans Affairs Medical Center
3400 Lebanon Pike
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
(615)867-6000

Middle Tennessee Medical Center
400 N Highland Ave
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
(615)396-4100

Southern Hills Medical Center
391 Wallace Rd
Nashville, TN 37211
(615)781-4000

Summit Medical Center
5655 Frist Blvd
Hermitage, TN 37076
(615)316-3000

Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute
221 Stewart Ferry Pike
Nashville, TN 37214
(615)902-7400

Williamson Medical Center
4321 S Carothers Pkwy
Franklin, TN 37067
(615)435-5000

Nashville Rehabilitation Hospital
1034 W Eastland Ave
Nashville, TN 37206
(615)226-4330

University Medical Center
1411 Baddour Pkwy
Lebanon, TN 37087
(615)444-8262

Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital
2201 Children's Way
Nashville, TN 37212
(615)320-7600

Psychiatric Hospital At Vanderbilt
1601 23rd Ave S
Nashville, TN 37212
(615)320-7770

Monroe Carell Jr Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt
2200 Children's Way
Nashville, TN 37232
(615)936-1000

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
1211 Medical Center Dr
Nashville, TN 37212
(615)322-5000

Nashville VA Medical Center
1310 24th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37212
(615)327-4751

Baptist Hospital
2000 Church St
Nashville, TN 37236
(615)284-5555

McFarland Specialty Hospital
500 Park Ave
Lebanon, TN 37087
(615)449-0500

Centennial Medical Center
2300 Patterson St
Nashville, TN 37203
(615)342-1000

Parthenon Pavilion
2401 Parman Pl
Nashville, TN 37203
(615)342-1400

Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital
1818 Albion St
Nashville, TN 37208
(615)341-4000

Saint Thomas Hospital
4220 Harding Rd
Nashville, TN 37205
(615)222-2111

Skyline Madison Campus
500 Hospital Dr
Madison, TN 37115
(615)865-0300

Skyline Medical Center
3441 Dickerson Pike
Nashville, TN 37207
(615)769-2000

Bordeaux Long Term Care
1414 County Hospital Rd
Nashville, TN 37218
(615)862-7000

Kindred Hospital Nashville
1412 County Hospital Rd
Nashville, TN 37218
(615)687-2600

Hendersonville Medical Center
355 New Shackle Island Rd
Hendersonville, TN 37075
(615)264-4000

Stones River Hospital
324 Doolittle Rd
Woodbury, TN 37190
(615)563-4001

Heritage Medical Center
2835 Hwy 231 N
Shelbyville, TN 37160
(931)685-5433

Sumner Regional Medical Center
555 Hartsville Pike
Gallatin, TN 37066
(615)452-4210

Trousdale Medical Center
500 Church St
Hartsville, TN 37074
(615)374-2221

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