Maj Hemstad
Traumatic brain injury is classified as mild, moderate, or severe. When a person receives a trauma to the head that results in more than 30 minutes of unconsciousness, but less than 24 hours, they have a moderate TBI. When loss of consciousness lasts more than 24 hours, a person has a severe TBI.
Lt Col Reynolds
People with moderate and severe TBIs also experience an alteration of consciousness for at least a day, meaning they look and feel dazed, are confused, and have difficulty thinking clearly or describing what happened before and after the traumatic event. Post-traumatic amnesia, or PTA, will also last more than 24 hours. PTA may include loss of memory of events prior to and immediately after the injury.
Maj Hemstad
There are several factors that will help predict the level of recovery from a moderate to severe brain injury. Those factors include:
- Force of the trauma and severity of the injury
- Brain functions affected by the injury
- Areas of brain function that are not affected by the injury
- Patient’s age at the time of injury, and
- Other injuries to the body from the same traumatic event
Keep in mind that every traumatic brain injury is different, and every person responds differently.
Lt Col Reynolds
In this section, you can find information about common causes and mechanisms of injury, as well as the symptoms of moderate and severe TBI.
Maj Hemstad
We also talk about diagnosing traumatic brain injury and other injuries and conditions commonly associated with moderate to severe TBI.
Lt Col Reynolds
You can find information on secondary complications and potential long-term effects of moderate to severe TBI, as well as the different stages of treatment, settings of care, and providers and specialists who make up the TBI healthcare team.