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Ever since I became a mom to three boys, I am more aware of how quickly a child can sustain a head injury. From skate boarding to bicycle riding, and now to cruising on the back of a friend’s moped, the thought of a head injury to one of my kids is frightening.
While they do not always put a helmet on, you can guarantee I want my boys to wear one when they ride their bikes, skateboards, etc. Just a few summers ago, my middle son fell off of his rip stick (code for cool skateboard with only two wheels!) in a neighbor’s driveway and hit his head. After rushing him to the ER, we were pleased to learn that he did not seriously hurt himself, but a head injury can be a serious thing.
Skull fractures can occur with head injuries. The skull may be tough, resilient, and worthy of providing excellent protection, but when it sustains a large enough impact, it can break or fracture. It may also be accompanied by an injury to the brain.
A simple fracture of the skull is a break in the bone without any damage to the skin. A linear skull fracture is a break in a cranial bone that looks like a thin line, without splintering or creating a depression or distorting the bone in any way.
A depressed skull fracture is an actual break in a cranial bone. Another way of describing this is “crushed,” with a depression of the bone in towards the brain.
A compound fracture is a result of a break in or loss of skin and splintering of the bone.
There are a variety of symptoms that give evidence of a skull fracture, and these include bleeding from the wound, the ears, the nose, or around the eyes. There may be bruising behind the ears or under the eyes. The patient’s pupil’s may change in size or appear to be unequal or non-reactive to light. The patient may seem confused or disoriented. She may experience convulsions or have trouble with balance. There may be some drainage of a clear or bloody fluid from the ears or the nose. The patient may complain of being tired or of having a headache. There could be a loss of consciousness or some nausea and vomiting, restlessness, and irritability. The patient may slur her words when speaking or may have a stiff neck with swelling. She may even mention some disturbances with her vision.
When treating a person with a skull injury, be sure to check the airwaves, breathing, and circulation. If necessary, commence CPR measures. Avoid moving the patient unless it is absolutely necessary until medical help arrives. If you must move the patient, be sure to stabilize the head and the neck by placing your hands on both sides of her head and under her shoulders. Do not allow the head to twist, turn, move forward or backward.
Be sure to check the site of the injury, but do not probe in or around it with a foreign object. If you notice any bleeding, firmly apply pressure with a clean cloth to control the loss of blood. If the blood soaks through, do not remove the original cloth that was applied. Put another cloth on top and continue to apply the same pressure.
If the victim begins to vomit, stabilize the head and neck and carefully turn her on her side so that she does not choke.
If the patient is conscious and exhibits any of the aforementioned symptoms, be sure to transport her to the nearest emergency medical facility.
Even my 105-year-old grandma knows to take her head safety seriously. When out riding on the back of my cousin’s motorcycle in the mountains of North Carolina last summer, she donned her head gear appropriately, even though she complained that she would have bad hair days for two weeks until she could visit her stylist again. Grandma! I’d rather see your blue hair all askew than to know you had sustained a head injury. Believe it or not, even old ladies can complain of “helmet hair!”
(Information for this article was found at http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000060trt.htm)
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