Nursing HDP401 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Basilar Skull Fracture, Penetrating Head Injury, Closed Head Injury
13 Mar 2018
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Types of head injury: concussion blow to the head immediate but brief loss of consciousness. If severe, contusion can lead to coma and brain death or recovery with some level of permanent injury: simple skull fracture closed head injury. Fracture with no displacement of bone fragments and no break in integument. May involve minor or significant brain injury, laceration of meninges or severe hemorrhage, risk of increased icp, no risk of infection: compound skull fracture open head injury. May be damage to the brain at the point of impact but contra-coup injury is the one on the opposite side: basilar skull fracture fractures on the underside of the skull. Significant b/c cranial nerves arise from the underside and the circle of willis. Two common indicators: otorrhea loss od csf through the ears, risk to cranial nerves 7, 8, and 9, rhinorrhea loss of csf through the nose, damage to cn 1, 2, and 3.
