Patient/caregiver was educated on complications of head injury as follows:
- Seizures: Brain damage from the injury can lead to disturbance in the nerve signals in the brain, which increases the risk for seizure development. Sometimes, the seizures can occur for a short time, immediately after the injury and resolve later. But, in some cases, depending on the intensity of injury suffered, seizures can become permanent and endanger life.
- Confusion: Impact to the brain from injury can result in concussion due to the brain receiving a sudden jolt, hitting against hard surfaces, such as, head hitting against the floor during falls or some metal rod during physical assault. Individuals can present with confusion, dizziness, and poor thinking abilities due to the injury suffered. Also, hypotension from bleeding & blood loss can contribute to the confusion and dizziness.
- Visual disturbance: The swelling of brain tissue and bleeding inside the skull can exert pressure on the nerve helping the visual function, optic nerve. This increased pressure on the optic nerve can lead to blurred spots in the visual field and in extreme cases can result in partial or complete vision loss. Uncontrolled bleeding from the injury can lead to elevated pressure inside the head. This can exert pressure on the nerves helping for the movement of eyes, thus making the movement of eyes difficult. Problems with the vision can contribute to increased risk for falls and accidents.
