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The treatment of head trauma will depend upon the cause and magnitude of the injury. If indicated, your veterinarian may recommend radiographs in order to look for skull or spinal fractures and CT scan to look for fractures as well as brain injury. Once your veterinarian has the opportunity to examine your pet thoroughly, trauma to the abdomen, chest or even fractures of the limbs may be noted. Other injuries, particularly those that are not life-threatening, may have been overlooked during the initial examination when your cat’s condition was critical. Your veterinarian will perform a more complete physical examination as soon as your cat is stable. A more complete neurologic examination may need to wait until your cat is alert however, eventually it will be important to determine if there are other significant injuries, such as to the spinal cord. The size of the pupils and their response of light will also be tested to help determine the severity of the injury. During the initial evaluation, your cat’s level of consciousness will be assessed. Your veterinarian will need to rapidly assess your cat’s status, which may include evaluation of brain function and determination of the site of the damage. Tests and procedures that your veterinarian may wish to perform include: A complete medical history and physical examination are important parts of the initial diagnosis of head trauma. Veterinary care should include diagnostic tests and subsequent treatment recommendations.ĭiagnostic tests are needed to recognize head trauma and determine its severity. If you suspect that your cat has suffered head trauma observe him for the following: Other causes include blunt trauma such as being hit by bats or swings or being stepped on, falls, gunshot wounds or animal fights.īelow is an overview of head trauma in cats followed by detailed in-depth information on this emergency condition.īrain dysfunction may be the result of concussion, swelling, bruising, laceration, fractures, compression or bleeding. In cats it may occur due to a variety of causes, the most common of which is a motor vehicle accident. Head trauma is a blunt or penetrating injury occurring to the head. Although the Brain Trauma Foundation has provided guidelines for the management of severe traumatic brain injury (there are still many institutional differences in the care these patients receive, potentially affecting outcome. But for those who do sustain TBI, there is much we can do to provide the best possible care for these patients. Primary prevention is essential to decrease the burden of this problem. It is estimated that $100 billion is spent annually in the United States alone providing care for these individuals. The results of these injuries include 60,000 deaths and 70,000–90,000 permanent neurologic disabilities. It is estimated that 1.6 million head injuries occur annually in the United States with 250,000 patients requiring hospitalization.
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Older persons, particularly those older than 75 years, suffer from an increased frequency of falls leading to head injury. Young persons between 15 and 24 years suffer head injuries in motor vehicles and violence, especially in association with alcohol use.
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With respect to age, it occurs in a bimodal fashion. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) imposes a significant burden on society, the presence of which is the primary determinant in quality of outcome following trauma. Review the current guidelines regarding management of traumatic brain injury.ĭiscuss the anesthetic management of traumatic brain injury and the potential complications. Summarize the systemic manifestations of acute traumatic brain injury. Review the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury.