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Head Injury Center - Wauwatosa, WI

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Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

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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 Wauwatosa

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Wauwatosa Hospitals *

Aurora Psychiatric Hospital
1220 Dewey Ave
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
(414)454-6600

Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division
9455 W Watertown Plank Rd
Milwaukee, WI 53226
(414)257-6995

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
9000 W Wisconsin Ave
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
(414)266-2000

Froedtert Hospital
9200 W Wisconsin Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53226
(414)805-3000

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare St Joseph
5000 W Chambers St
Milwaukee, WI 53210
(414)447-2000

The Wisconsin Heart Hospital
10000 W Blue Mound Rd
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
(414)778-7800

Clement J Zablocki VA Medical Center
5000 W National Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53295
(414)384-2000

Select Specialty Hospital Milwaukee
8901 W Lincoln Ave
West Allis, WI 53227
(414)328-7700

West Allis Memorial Hospital
8901 W Lincoln Ave
West Allis, WI 53227
(414)328-6000

Aurora Sinai Medical Center
945 N 12th St
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414)219-2000

Rogers Memorial Hospital
11101 W Lincoln Ave
West Allis, WI 53227
(414)327-3000

Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin
575 W River Woods Pkwy
Glendale, WI 53212
(414)961-6800

Aurora St Luke's Medical Center
2900 W Oklahoma Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53215
(414)649-6000

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare St Francis
3237 S 16th St
Milwaukee, WI 53215
(414)647-5000

Columbia St Mary's Columbia Campus
2025 E Newport Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414)961-3300

Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute
2025 E Newport Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414)298-6700

Columbia St Mary's Milwaukee Campus
2323 N Lake Dr
Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414)291-1000

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Elmbrook Memorial
19333 W North Ave
Brookfield, WI 53045
(262)785-2000

Community Memorial Hospital
W180 N8085 Town Hall Rd
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
(262)251-1000

Kindred Hospital Milwaukee
5017 S 110th St
Greenfield, WI 53228
(414)427-8282

Aurora St Luke's South Shore
5900 S Lake Dr
Cudahy, WI 53110
(414)489-9000

Waukesha Memorial Hospital
725 American Ave
Waukesha, WI 53188
(262)928-1000

Rehabilitation Hospital of Wisconsin
1625 Coldwater Creek Dr
Waukesha, WI 53188
(262)521-8800

Columbia St Mary's Ozaukee Campus
13111 N Port Washington Rd
Mequon, WI 53097
(262)243-7300

LifeCare Hospitals of Wisconsin
2400 Golf Rd
Pewaukee, WI 53072
(262)524-2600

Rogers Memorial Hospital Oconomowoc
34700 Valley Rd
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
(262)646-4411

Lakeview Specialty Hospital & Rehabilitation
1701 Sharp Rd
Waterford, WI 53185
(262)534-7297

Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital
791 Summit Ave
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
(262)569-9400

Aurora Medical Center Hartford
1032 E Sumner St
Hartford, WI 53027
(262)673-2300

All Saints St Mary's Medical Center
3801 Spring St
Racine, WI 53405
(262)687-4011

St Joseph's Hospital
3200 Pleasant Valley Rd
West Bend, WI 53095
(262)334-5533

All Saints St Luke's Memorial Hospital
1320 Wisconsin Ave
Racine, WI 53403
(262)687-2011

Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington
252 McHenry St
Burlington, WI 53105
(262)767-6000

Aurora Medical Center
10400 75th St
Kenosha, WI 53142
(262)948-5600

United Hospital System St Catherine's Campus
9555 76th St
Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
(262)577-8000

Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Kenosha
6308 8th Ave
Kenosha, WI 53143
(262)656-2261

United Hospital System Kenosha Medical Center Campus
6308 8th Ave
Kenosha, WI 53143
(262)656-2011

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