A. Investigated Disease Process
The disease process I will be reviewing is traumatic brain injuries. A traumatic brain injury occurs when sudden trauma occurs to an individual’s brain. Traumatic brain injuries are considered closed or penetrating. Traumatic brain injuries are categorized as mild, moderate or severe based on the amount of damage that occurs to the brain. (ninds.nih.gov, 2015)
A1. Pathophysiology To understand traumatic brain injuries, we must first discuss the numerous causes of brain injury. When injury occurs to the brain, the patient encounters the primary injury that is directly related and occurs at the time of the injury. Secondary injury occurs as a result of the primary injury but often leads to a more significant sequela based on the type of initial trauma. Non penetrating injuries to the cranium that lead to traumatic brain injuries are not always related to direct blows of the cranium. Rapid acceleration and deceleration injuries along with compression injuries may lead to traumatic brain injuries. This type of injuries can lead to injuries to the brain tissue that could include compression, stretching and shearing injuries to the brain tissue. These type of injuries are classified as “diffuse axonal injuries”. Diffuse axonal injuries are one of the most common and extensive types of traumatic brain injuries. These injuries often lead to death or severe irreversible damage due the magnitude of the injury. Over 90% of patients that experience a diffuse axonal injury remain in a persistent vegetative state and never regain consciousness. (wikipedia.org, 2015) The most common closed traumatic head injury is related to a direct blow to the cranium. The two most common are results of a fall or a motor vehicle accident. These blunt trauma injuries may
