First aid treatment for Head Injuries

The brain is a really delicate and sensitive organ. A hard blow on the head can injure the spinal cord or the brain even when there is no visible signs of trauma to the face or scalp. That is the reason why the every head injury is considered to very serious and should be assessed by the nearest hospital emergency department or the doctor.

Always call the ambulance in an emergency situation. In the article there are suggestions discussed for the first aid, but it should not be opted for the substitute for professional medical care.

There are two types of head injuries which are classified as the

Open – with the wounds to the head and face and bleeding

Closed – no signs of injury to the face or head.

Closed Head injuries: As you know our brain is a soft material which is protected by the skull. The brain does not fill the skull entirely where as it floats in a transparent clear, nourishing liquid called cerebro-spinal fluid. This fluid acts as the shock absorber but it has a limited protective value.

The fluid can absorb the kinetic energy of a small knock to the head or the face, but a really hard impact can easily smash the brain inside the skull. This can easily bruise the brain and cause the tear to the blood vessels. This can cause the swelling within the skull as well if the blood and the blood serum start to escape. The pressure inside the skull can also cause a permanent damage by forcefully crushing the brain. Not all the time, we can rely on the blood for the seriousness of the injury, apart from wounds there are many other symptoms which can be considered to be the serious head injury.

The symptoms of a head injury are discussed below:

 Consciousness – if the person has started loosing its consciousness for the short or longer period of time, but confused or drowsy once gets conscious again. This may be due to the brief seizure, which can be changed by deteriorating again later.

Skull deformities – if there are the signs of compression or deformities which indicates the fractures.

Fluid running from ear or nose – a skull fracture, especially that fracture which occur on the base of the skull can cause the cerebro spinal fluid running from the nose or the ears.

Bruised skin behind the ear and black eyes – this shows that the forceful blow has ruptured the blood vessels around the ears and eyes.

Vision Changes – the person with the serious head injury can experience the enlarger pupils or may be different in size, which can cause the double or the blurred vision as well.

Nausea – this is the most common side effect of the serious head injury and always be considered to be as an important element if it keeps on persisting.

In the case if there is a serious head injury occurs, then always call an ambulance.

The first aid treatment when the injured person is conscious, is to be ceased any movement of their head or neck. Whereas the scalp injuries starts to bleed, so immediately control the blood loss from the head wounds by dressing or the direct pressure. While you are examining the wounds, avoid the disturbing blood clots in the hair. Try to keep the person calm as much as possible.

The first aid treatment when the injured person is unconscious has to be handled with the greatest care. The person should not be allowed to move unless they are in immediate danger. An unnecessary movement can cause greater complications to the head injury afterwards. It can also be complicated for the spine or the other associated injuries as well. The neck will be injured as well if the head is injured.

Firstly the injured person has to be protected from any potential dangers in any  situation. The monitoring of the airway and the breathing is really much more important until the ambulance arrival. If the person is having problems while breathing due to the blockage of the airway, then the head should be carefully tilted back to help the person's breath normally. If the person has stopped breathing or has no pulse as well, then CPR is required immediately. 

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/article/First-Aid-Treatment-for-Head-Injuries/8258953/