Watch for These Signs of a Serious Brain Injury After a Head Impact
His family and a Florida medical examiner recently determined that comedian Bob Saget’s death in January was the result of an accidental head injury. “They [authorities] came to the conclusion that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, did not think anything about it and fell asleep,” his family said in a statement. “There were no drugs or alcohol.” According to ABC News, Saget was found “ lying face up on his bed; his left hand was on his chest and his right hand rested on the bed .”
The news was, to put it mildly, unpleasant. How can a blow to the head seem harmless enough to be neglected in favor of some sleep and then destroy you while you sleep? Are there any signs that this is serious?
Is it possible to have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and not know about it?
According to the Hersinka School of Medicine at the University of Alabama, yes:
Many people who have problems such as poor memory, learning difficulties, and behavior problems are unaware that they are experiencing symptoms resulting from an “unspecified” traumatic brain injury (TBI). An undiagnosed TBI is usually related to past trauma and no medical attention has been sought. Sports injuries and physical abuse are two of the most common examples.
As ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton said in an interview with Good Morning America , “We often hear about traumatic brain injuries in sports or in the military, but people can slip and fall in their own homes.” (Indeed, the Chief Medical Examiner for Orange and Osceola Counties said that “Saget’s injuries were most likely from a fall without witnesses.”) Although Ashton said it was rare, she added, “It’s a very unforgiving organ for injuries.” This is a closed space: between the hard skull and the soft brain, a little bleeding can cause compression of the brain, and in some cases even be fatal.
So how often does this happen? According to the CDC , about 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries occur each year; in 2018, 223,000 people were hospitalized as a result. In 2019, about 61,000 people died as a result of traumatic brain injuries. (People aged 75 years and older had the highest TBI death rates at 28%, and men are three times more likely to die from TBI than women.)
What are the warning signs of severe traumatic brain injury?
The difficulty lies in the fact that some of the signs of a concussion – a relatively “mild” brain injury – coincide with signs of a more serious head injury. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians , concussion symptoms may include headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, confusion, trouble concentrating and remembering, and lethargy, while the Mayo Clinic lists the following symptoms of moderate to severe TBI:
- Loss of consciousness from minutes to hours
- Persistent headache or headache that gets worse
- Recurring vomiting or nausea
- Convulsions or convulsions
- Dilation of one or both pupils of the eye
- Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes
- loss of coordination
- deep confusion
- Agitation, militancy, or other unusual behavior
- Slurred speech
When examining a loved one, also look for: uneven pupil size, bleeding or fluid leakage from the nose or ears, bruising under the eyes or behind the ears, or any change in consciousness for more than a few seconds. If you notice any of these signs or are not sure how serious the injury is, seek medical attention. A cerebral hemorrhage is an emergency and requires immediate attention.
Should I go to bed after a head injury?
For many years, wisdom has prevailed: do not let a person with a concussion fall asleep so that he does not fall into a coma. While Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Neurology and Neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian says it is no longer recommended, he also notes that “Any person who falls heavily asleep within six hours of a brain injury should be taken to hospital immediately.” emergency room.” department for computed tomography of the head. At a minimum, it seems reasonable to keep the person awake for several hours after the injury to see if any of the above symptoms develop.
Dr. Ashton notes: “It’s important for people to understand that when you talk about the brain, you always want to err on the side of caution… We all minimize our symptoms and we don’t like to draw attention to ourselves. . But this is a situation where you want to seek medical help.”