Children and traumatic head injuries: guidance with dos and don’ts for parents and caregivers

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered one of the leading causes of disability and death in children, with 20-30% of head injury cases presenting to hospitals being in patients under 15 years of age and India. Contains 35. % population of this age group. Falls are the leading cause of TBI in children, other causes of pediatric TBI include sporting events, falling of heavy objects and motor vehicle collisions, hence, adequate care and caution on the part of parents is essential to avoid devastating consequences for children. Can help.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr. Jayesh Sardhara, senior consultant in neuro and spine surgery and Dr. Rushabh Chheda, associate consultant at Fortis Hospital in Mulund and Kalyan, shared, “Traumatic injuries to the head can damage the scalp tissue as well as the brain. Can cause injury. Injuries that can cause fatal blood loss and hemorrhagic shock in a newborn or infant may occur without any external bleeding. Health care professionals commonly use the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (PGCS) to evaluate children with traumatic brain injury to assess consciousness and define the severity of head injuries as mild, moderate, or severe. .

According to experts, advances in diagnostic imaging have improved the quality of care by providing healthcare providers with accurate diagnosis, appropriate selection of treatment, prevention of complications such as high brain morbidity in children with TBI. However, delaying reaching a primary care center can have devastating consequences and so it is important for parents to pay attention to the warning signs.

Talking about the symptoms, Dr. Jayesh Sardhara and Dr. Rushabh Chheda explained, “These include headache, vomiting, refusal to eat or irritability, confusion, dizziness, slurred speech, sensitivity to light or sound, blurred vision, These include ringing in the ears etc. As tinnitus. Even changes in sleep habits, behavior, or mood can be an underlying sign of a mild TBI. Head injuries are severe when there is loss of consciousness lasting minutes to hours, persistent vomiting, seizures, weakness or numbness in fingers or toes, loss of coordination, slurred speech, and coma.

He suggested the following guide for parents and caregivers –

1. Prevention is better than cure – Make sure children wear specific safety equipment for their sport like use of helmet while skating/cricket.
2. Make sure children use an appropriate car seat, booster seat and/or seat belt whenever they are in a vehicle.
3. Keep your home safe from children.
4. It is advisable to let them play in playgrounds that have a soft ground surface such as mulch rather than dirt or concrete fields.
5. Talk to your children about never hiding a head injury. If they get a head injury while playing or doing any activity, they should immediately go to a parent, coach or teacher.

Experts have advised what to do and what not to do if a child gets a head injury –

1. If a child suffers a head injury, make sure to stop whatever activity they are doing, including sports, even if the injury seems minor. Meet with the doctor, who will examine and decide whether your child needs medical care, observation or tests such as a CT scan or MRI.
2. Do not move the baby’s head and spine while taking him to the hospital.
3. If there is external bleeding, keep pressure on it until it stops.
4. If the child is not breathing, start CPR or ask for help from trained personnel.