RWJUH: Don't Overlook Brain Injuries

While the public today is better educated and aware of the risks of brain injuries, March – also known as National Brain Injury Awareness Month - is a good time to educate ourselves and others that suspected head injuries, especially concussions, shouldn’t be ignored, say Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) experts.

“Most first concussions are mild and therefore easily overlooked,” says Gaurav Gupta, M.D., Director, Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery at RWJUH and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). 

“A student athlete, for example, may suffer a concussion but returns to play because he dismisses symptoms or there’s peer pressure to continue. That child is then at risk for second impact syndrome, which occurs if a player returns too quickly and is hit again,” Gupta adds. “It’s important to train coaches, trainers, gym teachers, school nurses, trainers, educators, parents and pediatricians to recognize the signs and symptoms of concussions to prevent more serious injury.”

Another common mistake is thinking a concussion isn’t really a concussion if the individual doesn’t lose consciousness, says Diana Starace, Injury Prevention Coordinator at the Level I Trauma Center at RWJUH and Safe Kids Middlesex County coordinator.

“That is simply not true. In most cases, a person does not lose consciousness after suffering a concussion,” she explains. “Don’t rely on only that as a determinant.”

Concussion symptoms may include a raised, swollen area from a bump or a bruise; headache; sensitivity to noise and light; irritability; confusion; lightheadedness and/or dizziness; problems with balance; nausea; problems with memory and/or concentration; fatigue or lethargy.

Injuries considered to be moderate or severe may include the symptoms above plus loss of consciousness; severe headache that doesn’t go away; repeated nausea and vomiting; loss of short-term memory, such as difficulty remembering the events that led right up to and through the traumatic event; slurred speech; difficulty walking; weakness in one side or area of the body; sweating; pale skin color; seizures or convulsions; or blood or clear fluid draining from the ears or nose.

“The effects of brain injury may be invisible to an unknowing observer. With nearly two million people in the United States sustaining a traumatic brain injury each year, it is critical to continue to educate ourselves and the community about brain injury symptoms and what to do in the event it occurs,” says Vicente Gracias, professor of surgery and chief, Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at RWJMS, and Medical Director, Trauma and Surgical Care at RWJUH.

Anyone with symptom(s) of brain injury should be evaluated by a medical professional, recommends RWJUH Neurosurgeon Rachana Tyagi, M.D., director, Pediatric Neurosurgery Program at RWJMS. “Subtle signs of concussions may be missed without expert evaluation,” she says.