Introduction
A brain injury is an injury occurring in the brain of a living organism. Brain injuries can be classified along primary and secondary brain injury (process of the injury) and focal and diffuse injury (the extent or location of injury in the brain)
The forms of brain injury are:-
• Brain damage- that is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells.
• Traumatic -damage that occurs when an outside force traumatically injures the brain.
• Stroke-a vascular event causing damage in the brain. Usually causing dementia.
• Acquired - when damage to the brain that occurs after birth, regardless of whether it is traumatic or non traumatic, or whether due to an outside or internal cause.
Dementia with Lewy bodies
Lewy bodies are abnormal protein deposits which appear in nerve cells in the brain stem. These bodies disrupt the brain's normal functioning thereby causing brain damage. The common illness that these bodies give a human on entering the brain is Dementia (meaning madness). Dementia with Lewy Bodies is a form of dementia that shares some features of both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
The treatment and care of brain damage must be considered devotedly. Treatments vary for the type of injury. The doctor examines the injury and then provides the best care. The brain injury must however be taken care of by few measures like:-
• Appropriate Positioning: Usually the head of the bed should be elevated slightly and the neck should be kept straight. This position may decrease the intracranial pressure by allowing blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to drain from the brain.
• Fluid Restriction: the fluid intake of the patient must be limited, because the brain is like a sponge. It swells with extra fluid. Limiting fluids can help control the swelling.
• Medications: There are several types of medications used to treat such brain damage. Few of them are used to decrease the amount of water in the patient's body while a few to prevent seizures.
If the brain damage has reached to a high level, the medications might not work. So to take care of the brain injury, the doctor might suggest to undergo a surgery.
There are three types of surgery used with brain injury like Dementia with Lewy Bodies:
• Craniotomy - The skull is opened to relieve the causes of increased pressure inside the skull. Causes may be fractured bones, blood clots, or swollen brain tissue
• Burr holes - A small opening is made into the skull to remove blood clots
• Bone flap removal - A piece of bone is removed from the skull to relieve pressure caused by swollen brain tissue
The brain injury care treatment and care cost may vary from the type of injury, the treatment that needs to be done and also the hospital you choose. Few medical policies, cover the treatment of a brain injury.
by Re-Cognition Health
