Patient/caregiver was educated that the signs and symptoms of head injury can vary depending on the severity of the injury suffered.
Also, some symptoms can appear during immediate 24 – 48 hours after injury and some symptoms can also appear in a few weeks after injury. The symptoms can progressively improve or worsen based on the impact of injury.
Moderate to severe head injury can result in the following signs & symptoms:
- Poor control of blood pressure and respirations: Inflammation and swelling of the brain from head injury can increase the net weight of the brain. The heavier brain can exert more pressure on the vital centers located at the base of brain controlling blood pressure and respirations, thus compromising their function. This can lead to poorly controlled BP and shallow breathing.
- Altered level of consciousness: Brain damage from the injury can result in altered consciousness and pose problems with orientation to time, place, and person. Individuals can also present with loss of consciousness (LOC) and issues with the consciousness could resolve in due course of time or continue for prolonged periods of time, depending on the severity of impact.
- 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.
