1. What is a primary mechanism of injury?
2. What are some common primary mechanisms of injury?
3. What is a secondary mechanism of injury? When does it most commonly occur?
4. What are common causes of secondary injury?
5. How does increased release of excitatory neurotransmitters secondary to DAI result in secondary injury?
Answers:
1. Primary mechanism occurs at the moment of impact, as a direct result of the trauma.
2. Contusions and lacerations of brain surface, DAI, diffuse vascular injury, multiple petechial hemorrhages, cranial nerve injury.
3. Occurs after initial trauma, as a result of the injuring event. Usually first 12-24 hrs after injury, but may happen up to 5-10 days later if injury is severe.
4. Intracranial hemorrhage, brain edema, elevated ICP (resulting in decreased perfusion), hypoxic brain damage, intracranial infection, hydrocephalus, free radicals, excitotoxicity, hypotension, electrolyte imbalance, anemia, hypothermia, hyper/hypoglycemia, hypercarbia, hyponatremia, infection, carotid dissection, seizures, vasospasm.
5. This increases the activity of certain brain areas, resulting in increased overall metabolic demand in an already injured brain.
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1 comment:
This is quite an interesting and useful blog post. My friend suffered quite a serious head injury last year, and this blog relates to it somewhat; so it was useful for me to read about it and understand it a bit some more.
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