Traumatic Brain Injury:

1
Traumatic Brain Injury

• A Silent Epidemic

2
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

• an insult to the brain caused by an external
  physical force which results in impairment of any
  or all of the following
• Cognitive abilities
• Physical functions
• Behavioral
• Emotional functioning
• Not congenital, degenerative or induced by birth
  trauma

3
Skills Functions Associated with Parts of the
Brain

• Frontal Lobe judgment, problem
  solving, personality, emotions,
  expressive language, inhibition of
  behavior
• Motor Cortex physical movement
• Sensory Cortex sensation
• Parietal Lobe tactile perception (touch),
  awareness of spatial relations, and
  academic skills
• Occipital Lobe visual perception, visual
  input, reading (the perception and
  recognition of printed words)
• Cerebellum coordination of voluntary
  movement, balance and equilibrium
• Brain stem (Medulla Oblongata, Pons
• and Spinal Cord) swallowing, sweating,
• blood pressure, digestion,
  temperature, alertness/sleep.
• Temporal Lobe memory, receptive
  language, hearing, language
  comprehension, musical awareness and
  sequencing skills.

4
Severity of TBI

• Mild
• Brief or no loss of consciousness
• Show signs of concussion
• Moderate
• Coma lt24 hours
• Neurological signs of brain trauma
• Focal findings on EEG or CT Scan
• Severe
• Coma gt24 hours

5
every 21 seconds
someone in the US sustains a traumatic brain
injury
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Incidence of TBI - Nation
7
Incidence of TBI - Nation

• 80,000-90,000 individuals incur a TBI-related
  disability
• 235,000 hospital admissions for mild or moderate
  TBI
• 1.1 million emergency department visits
• 50,000 deaths
• Unknown number of TBIs undiagnosed or
  misdiagnosed

8
5.3 million Americans currently live with
disabilities resulting from TBI
9
Who does TBI impact?

• Males are 1.5X more likely than females to
  sustain a TBI
• Highest incidence among age groups birth to 4, 15
  to 24, and 75 and older
• Leading cause of death and disability in children
  and young adults.
• Family, Friends, and the Community

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Who does TBI impact?

• Each year
• an average of 475,000 TBIs occur among children.
• an average of 155,000 TBIs occur among older
  adults.

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Causes of TBI
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Costs of TBI

• National annual cost
• Direct medical costs and indirect costs totaled
  approximately 56.3 billion in 1995
• Estimates for average lifetime cost of care -
  600,000 - 1,875,000
• Figures may grossly underestimate the true cost

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Consequences of TBI

• Physical
• Cognitive
• Emotional and Behavioral

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Physical Consequences

• Seizures
• Muscle spasticity
• Vision problems
• Loss of smell or taste
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Decreased stamina
• Balance problems

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Cognitive Consequences

• Memory problems
• Difficulty focusing or sustaining attention
• Decreased ability to process information
• Organizational difficulties
• Inability to multi-task
• Impaired judgment
• Spatial disorientation
• Lack of initiation

16
Emotional and Behavioral Consequences

• Increased anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Impulsive behavior
• Agitation
• Egocentric behaviors

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TBI A Public Health Concern

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  have targeted three key areas for additional
  efforts
• Primary prevention particularly as it relates
  to the three major causes of TBI falls,
  transportation, and violence.
• Acute care and rehabilitation improve access
  and quality of care to minimize adverse outcomes
  and promote independence and integration into the
  community.
• Improved data systems better information to
  help plan for and implement an appropriate and
  meaningful response.

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Starting Now

• Observe
• If an individual exhibits signs/consequences of
  TBI
• Ask
• If they have suffered TBI, or if they were in a
  situation where a TBI might have occurred
• Act
• Utilize the resources in your community and the
  state