Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, there are approximately 288,000 hospitalization cases for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) each year, more than 20 times the number of hospitalizations for spinal cord injury. TBI is one of the most debilitating injuries an individual can sustain because while other injuries can heal, brain injuries can cause life-long damage depending on the severity.

If you or any of your loved ones sustained a brain injury, you need a professional expert to help get your life back on track. You might want to talk to a TBI specialist or need help from a personal injury attorney. You must find the best providers, and Injury Assistance Network is here to make your search process as convenient as possible.

What is Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a disruption of normal brain function that can occur when an object suddenly and violently strikes, bumps, jolts, or pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue.

The extent of the brain damage can be mild, moderate, or severe. Mild TBI might temporarily affect the brain cells, resulting in a brief change in consciousness. More severe TBI can cause bruising, torn tissues, bleeding, and other physical brain damage. Severe cases can result in prolonged unconsciousness, coma, or even death. Traumatic brain injuries can cause long-term complications.

TBI Symptoms

The physical and psychological effects of a traumatic brain injury can be far-reaching. Symptoms might appear immediately after the traumatic event, while others may not appear until days or weeks later. Depending on the severity of the injury, symptoms can vary greatly and may include any of the following:

• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Headache
• Confusion
• Paralysis
• Coma
• Loss of consciousness
• Dilated pupils
• Vision changes (blurred or double vision, intolerance to bright light, loss of eye movement, blindness)
• Clear or bloody Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) coming out of ears or nose
• Dizziness and body balance issues
• Difficulty in breathing
• Slow heartbeat rate
• Unsteady and feeble breathing with increased blood pressure
• Ringing in the ears or hearing changes
• Cognitive problems
• Unusual emotional reactions
• Difficulty speaking (slurred speech, inability to understand or articulate words)
• Trouble swallowing
• Numbness or tingling
• Drooping eyelid or facial weakness
• Losing bowel or bladder control

Types of Traumatic Brain Injury

There are different types of TBI, each with its specific symptoms and effects. For example, the most common TBI is a concussion, a mild brain injury causing temporary neurological symptoms. Severe brain injuries might cause bruising, bleeding, and brain tissue damage.

They can lead to "mass lesions" that causes an increase in pressure within the brain. There are different types of Traumatic brain injuries.

Hematoma: Hematoma is a blood clot within the brain or on its surface. It can occur anywhere in the brain. In an Epidural bruise, the blood collects between the protective covering of the brain and inside the skull. In Subdural hematomas, the blood collects between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane that lies directly on the brain's surface.

Contusion: Cerebral contusion is bruising of brain tissue. Often, bruises occur at the base of the front of the brain. The bruises are blood leaked from arteries, veins, or capillaries mixed with an injured or swollen brain.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH): Bleeding within the brain tissue with other brain injuries, particularly bruising. Doctors can surgically remove the bruises depending on their size and location.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH): Bleeding into the subarachnoid space. It occurs after TBI and appears as diffuse, thinly distributed blood on the brain's surface. Most cases of SAH are mild.

Diffuse injuries: Microscopic changes that do not appear on CT scans and are scattered throughout the brain. It can occur with or without an associated mass lesion.

Diffuse axonal injury: The dysfunction and progressive loss of axons, the long extensions of nerve cells that allow them to communicate with one another. If more numbers of axons are damaged, the ability of the nerve cells to communicate with each other and to integrate their function can be lost or severely impaired, potentially leaving a patient with a severe disability.

Ischemia: Lack of blood supply to specific brain areas. The blood supply reduces to low levels. Blood pressure changes in the first few days after a head injury can have detrimental effects. It is critical because a brain just subjected to a traumatic injury is particularly sensitive to even a slight reduction in blood flow.

Skull fractures: Forces strong enough might damage the underlying brain to cause a skull fracture. When they occur at the base of the skull are problematic. They can result in injury to

nerves, arteries, or other structures. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may leak from the nose or ears if the fracture extends into the paranasal sinuses. Depressed skull fractures can also happen when the bone presses on or into the brain.

Finding the best assistance for TBI in Florida

Always seek medical attention if you or your loved one has received a blow to the head or body that causes concern or behavioral changes. It is essential to seek immediate emergency medical attention if there are signs or symptoms of traumatic brain injury after a recent blow or another traumatic injury to the head.

At Injury Assistance Network, we know how important it is to act quickly and safely. We aim to make the selection and appointment process easy for you at such crucial moments. You can trust I.A.N. to help you find the best neurosurgeons in Florida.

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