There are two kinds of blunt trauma: minor blunt trauma and severe or major blunt trauma. Both have effects on consciousness, with severe blunt trauma being the worst. Usually minor blunt trauma can be treated at home, but for maximum safety, it is advisable to take the person who has suffered the injury to the hospital to be sure that there is no further injuries involved. Blunt trauma to the head can also turn into more serious complications such as an intraventricular hemorrhage or a subdural hematoma. Both of these must be treated by a medical professional and can be life-threatening.
Minor Blunt Head Injuries
Minor blunt head injuries may have the effects of simply being dazed or a small lapse in consciousness. The result may be headaches, blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting. There may be subtle long-lasting effects, such as irritability, difficulty in concentration, insomnia and sensitivity to bright light and loud sounds. These are post-concussion symptoms and may last for a long time.
Severe Blunt Head Trauma
Severe blunt head trauma involves loss of consciousness from minutes to days. Seizures may occur in this state. Serious neurological deficits may occur and be permanent. Death may also ensue from the injury. Trauma may resemble that seen in a stroke and may include paralysis, difficulty seeing, hearing, walking or understanding and comprehension.
Intraventricular hemorrhage
Intraventricular hemorrhage, or IVH, can occur as an effect of blunt head trauma. IVH is bleeding inside or around the ventricles. The ventricles contain cerebral spinal fluid. According to a 2009 article entitled "Intraventricular Hemorrhage" on the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Website, intraventricular means "within the ventricles" and "hemorrhage" means "excessive bleeding." Bleeding in the brain damages nerve vessels by putting pressure on them. Severe damage can lead to brain damage. There are four grades of IVH used to describe the amount of bleeding: grade one indicates that the bleeding is occurring in a small area in the ventricles; grade two indicates that bleeding is occurring outside and inside the ventricles; grade three indicates that the ventricles are engorged with blood; and grade four indicates that bleeding is occurring around the ventricles and into brain tissue.
Subdural hematoma
A subdural hematoma is bleeding into the space between the brain cover, the dura, and the brain itself. The space is called the subdural area. The hematoma is capable of putting pressure on the brain, adverse side effects can occur such as slurred speech, dizziness, change in gait, coma and even death. Subdural hematomas can occur as a result of minor injury, major trauma or an aneurysm.
The treatment is to drill through the skull to drain excess blood in the area.
Conclusion
Minor head trauma may be treated at home by application of ice for 20 to 40 minutes at a time with ice or a frozen vegetable bag wrapped in a towel. More serious injuries should be treated at the hospital. Injuries may also be incurred by falls. As a rule of thumb, if the person falls a distance less than his height then he should be treated for minor blunt injuries. If the fall is from a greater height than his own height, he should be treated for major blunt trauma at a hospital. If you have any doubts about an incurred head wound, please seek medical advice and treatment immediately.
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