giving oxygen via a face mask or artificial ventilation via an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy to assist with breathing.using a central venous catheter and/or infusion pumps to give medicines and intravenous (IV) fluids, such as sedatives (to slow down the brain’s activity), analgesics (pain killers) and antibiotics (for infections).monitoring of the pressure in the brain ( ICP monitoring) and using an external ventricular drain (EVD) to help reduce the pressure inside the brain.inserting an arterial line to monitor blood pressure and to take blood samples.monitoring of the heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature – this will be seen on a bedside monitor.People injured away from a major trauma centre will need to be transferred.Īt first, if the injury can be treated with an operation, this will happen as soon as possible. What happens in ICU?Īnyone admitted to hospital with severe trauma will need specialised care in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). After a severe brain injury, the brain may start to swell and the patient's condition may deteriorate as the hours go by. To protect the airway and lungs, the person will need a tube placed into their throat and be connected to a breathing machine (ventilator) to help them breathe properly. This means they could inhale their own saliva. When the brain injury is severe, the person may be so deeply comatose that they can no longer cough or swallow properly. Sometimes the person may be able to move and open their eyes, but they are unable to obey commands (semi-conscious or semi-comatose). There are varying levels of coma/unconsciousness. Many terms are used for a severe brain injury, which are complex and may have been described incorrectly in the media.Ĭoma is a word used to describe a person who is unconscious, or a state where the person is unable to respond to the spoken word or to a stimulus (such as a pinch to the shoulder or on the chest). When brain injury is severe, the person is described as being in a coma.A person suffering moderate injury can lose consciousness for several minutes and be confused, sleepy and agitated in the following days to weeks.Often there is no sign of damage on a brain scan. A mild injury or concussion is diagnosed when a person experiences a brief change in their mental status (such as memory loss or headache) at the time of the injury.Traumatic brain injuries can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on the damage to the brain. diffuse axonal injury – where the brain cells are stretched and injured by rapid rotational movements of the head.haemorrhages (intra-cerebral, subdural, subarachnoid or epidural).contusion – where there is bruising or bleeding into brain tissue.penetrating trauma – where any object including skull fragments enters the brain.open head injury – where the skull is penetrated.closed head injury – where the skull is intact.There are a number of different primary injuries including: Without proper treatment, further or ‘secondary injuries’ may occur, due to a mix of problems such as swelling or bruising to the brain, poor breathing and low blood pressure. This force may cause a single problem (e.g. Traumatic brain injuryĪ traumatic brain injury occurs when an outside force impacts the head hard enough to cause the brain to move within the skull, or when the force causes the skull to break and directly hurts the brain. Multi-trauma is often serious and its care complex, often involving a number of medical specialists, which is why the person is in ICU. If people have injuries to many parts of their body, this is known as multi-trauma. Other common types of trauma include chest, abdominal and orthopaedic (bone) injuries. The most common type of trauma presenting in ICU is brain injuries (see the Traumatic Brain Injury section below). Common types of trauma in ICU (intensive care unit) Road traffic accidents, including motor vehicle, motorbikes and pedestrians are the most common causes of trauma that need admission into intensive care in Australia. Penetrating injuries are caused when the body is pierced by an object, and may be caused by injuries such as stabbings and gunshot wounds.īlunt injuries are usually internal and not obvious, so they are more difficult to assess and diagnose than penetrating injuries.

Blunt injuries are caused by impact or other force applied from or with a blunt object.Trauma is usually categorised as blunt or penetrating. Trauma includes all injuries caused by an external force, from minor (cuts and bruises) to critical (major brain or spinal injuries). Trauma in the medical sense means any injury to human tissues and organs caused by an external force.

Trauma meaning