Neuroscience/Brain injury

Objectives

Given a detailed description of a brain injured patient in the acute stages after injury, the student will be able to make a determination of the Glasgow Coma Scale score.
Given various common terms used in the brain injury literature, the student will be able to give definitions of those terms.
Given the description of a patient action and a description of characteristics in that stage, the student will be able to correctly identify the RLA level.
Given a RLA level on a particular patient, the student will be able to name at least one treatment goal at that stage.

When presented with the results of a history and physical examination or a description of pathology, students should be able to recognize the following types of head injury:
1. Cerebral concussion
2. Cerebral contusion
3. Contracoup injury

and correctly identify the pathophysiology involved.

When asked, students should be able to list the complications that can follow a head injury and threaten the patient's level of recovery and even survival.
hen presented with the details of a case of a patient with a head injury, students will be able to outline the initial plan of managements under the following headings:
1. criteria for release of patients after head injury
2. Criteria for hospital admission and observation
3. Criteria for emergency diagnostic evaluation or surgery

When presented with a case record of a patient with a head injury, students will be able to make an assessment of the prognosis for good recovery
When presented with the results of a history and physical examination, students will be able to distinguish among:
1. extradural hematoma
2. Subdural hematoma
3. Intracerebral hematoma

and correctly identify appropriate treatment for each

When asked, students should be able to state the components of the Glascow Coma Scale and correctly indicate how a particular score could be used to assess severity of head injury and predict outcome.

be able to define Traumatic Brain Injury and its pathomechanism and characteristic features
be become familiar with common measures like Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) test, etc., to determine the severity of the brain injury
to learn about some medical complications seen in the patient with a brain injury
be able to identify rehabilitative goals for a patient with acquired brain injury