Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury What is it? Traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, is an injury to the brain caused by a sudden blow to the head.
How serious is a TBI? TBI can be classified into mild, moderate or severe, depending on the type and amount of brain damage.
Brain damage occurs immediately after TBI. Further brain injury can follow caused by:
What are the effects? Some patients may suffer from post traumatic amnesia (PTA). This can cause confusion, memory loss or both.
• Brain swelling • Blockages preventing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) • Blood clots in the brain What causes it? There are many causes of TBI. The two most common are: • Road traffic accidents • Falls • Blood clots in the brain
Long term memories such as address, date of birth or significant historical events often remain intact after TBI.