Head injuries
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- Head Injuries
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Introduction
All head injuries are potentially serious and require proper
assessment because they can result in impaired consciousness.
Injuries may be associated with damage to the brain tissue or to
blood vessels inside the skull, or with a skull fracture.
A head injury may produce concussion, which is a brief period of
unconsciousness followed by complete recovery. Some head injuries
may produce compression of the brain (cerebral compression), which
is life-threatening. It is therefore important to be able to
recognise possible signs of cerebral compression - in particular, a
deteriorating level of response.
A head wound should alert you to the risk of deeper, underlying
damage, such as a skull fracture, which may be serious. Bleeding
inside the skull may also occur and lead to compression. Clear
fluid or watery blood leaking from the ear or nose are signs of
serious injury.
Any casualty with an injury to the head should be assumed to
have a neck (spinal) injury as well and be treated accordingly.
Related topics
Please note:
These hints are no substitute for thorough knowledge of first
aid! St John Ambulance holds first aid
courses throughout the country.