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Head injury and concussion
A guide for patients and carers
What are the main causes of head injury?
Hospital accident and emergency (A & E or casualty) departments see a steady stream of people with head injuries. Most are found to have minor head injuries, and recovery here is usually uncomplicated. However, some people will need medical care for a variety of reasons depending on the nature of their head injury and a very small proportion of these will have had a severe head injury that may require surgical treatment. Assessment of the severity of the head injury and subsequent treatment can be made more difficult by the fact that a considerable proportion of affected people has recently drunk alcohol.
Common causes of severe head injuries are road traffic accidents, falls and assault. Severe head injuries kill more than one person in every ten thousand in the UK every year. They are the commonest cause of death in young men.
Medical staff need to find out which people require hospital treatment and which do not. If they have any concerns they will admit the person to hospital.
Medical staff need to find out which people require hospital treatment and which do not. If they have any concerns they will admit the person to hospital.
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Contents
- Introduction
- What are the main causes of head injury?
- What are the signs of a serious injury?
- What will happen at the hospital?
- Who gets admitted to hospital?
- What if the skull is fractured?
- What is concussion?
- What will happen if there is internal bleeding?
- What happens in the neurosurgical unit?
- The intensive care unit
- Coma and level of consciousness
- Recovery from a severe head injury
- Summary
- Other organisations that may be able to help
