Craniocerebral injuries

"No head injury is so mild as to be completely disregarded, nor any so severe as to lose all hope."
Hippocrates

Craniocerebral injuries are a term for injuries to the head area that vary in cause and effect. They are caused by an external force and the movement it causes. In highly industrialized countries, they occur in about 200/100,000 people. Most injuries are mild in nature and prove harmless to the health of the injured person, but those of a more severe nature are one of the leading causes of death in all age groups. Injuries are most common in young people under the age of 30 and are twice as common in men as in women. Approximately 10-20% of people with a serious craniocerebral injury remain permanently mobility disabled and require lengthy treatment and ongoing, systematic, lifelong physical rehabilitation.

The main causes of craniocerebral injuries include, but are not limited to:

- traffic accidents,
- falls,
- accidents at work,
- injuries and fights (e.g., robbery beatings, domestic violence),
- sports injuries (e.g., injuries in combat sports),
- falls as a result of unconsciousness (e.g., during a seizure).

Craniocerebral injuries are a serious medical, social and economic problem. To reduce their number, there should be safety precautions in transportation (wearing helmets, wearing seat belts), adherence to traffic and safety regulations, and educating the public about them.

Injuries can be open, in which the continuity of the skull shell and bones is broken, and closed. The latter can include, among others:

- Concussion syndrome - transient disruption of brainstem function without any changes in its structure; loss of consciousness occurs,
- cerebral contusion syndrome - superficial damage to the hemispheres of the brain or its trunk as a result of closed head trauma; damage to brain tissue occurs in the form of laceration, tearing, and minor and major bleeding; brain swelling and loss of consciousness occur,
- Cerebral compression syndrome (intracranial hypertension/intracranial pressure) - as a result of trauma, intracranial contents increase, caused by cerebral edema or hematoma; unconsciousness is lost, regained, and consciousness is gradually extinguished again until unconsciousness is lost.

A person who has suffered a craniocerebral injury should be given immediate assistance. If she is unconscious, the airway is made clear. If he is breathing and has no other serious injuries, he can be placed in a safe position - on his side. A victim with cardiac arrest is given indirect cardiac massage with artificial respiration, and head wounds are dressed with a sterile dressing (with severe bleeding - a compression dressing). Any unconscious patient with craniocerebral trauma should be hospitalized and put under observation.

Each injury can be different, making treatment and physiotherapy take a different form depending on the case and the patient's current condition. Many times surgical intervention is also required.

Paley European Institute provides its patients with the highest level of care. Its vast knowledge, years of experience and empathetic approach to patients allow it to achieve the best possible therapeutic results in the shortest possible time.