What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

• Falls – 40.5%
• Vehicle-related collisions – 14.3%
• Assaults – 10.7%
• Struck by/against – 15.5%
• Unknown – 19 %

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

• Mild: At the time of the injury the person is dazed, confused or loses consciousness, though loss of consciousness does not have to occur.  Loss of consciousness is very brief, usually a few seconds or minutes.  CT and MRI scans of the brain may appear normal.  
• Moderate: Occurs when loss of consciousness last from a few minutes to a few hours. Confusion lasts from days to weeks.  There can be physical, cognitive and/or behavioral impairments for months or can even be permanent.
• Severe: Usually results from crushing blows or penetrating wounds to the head. Such injuries crush, rip and shear delicate brain tissue. Can be life threatening.

• In 2010 TBI’s accounted for approximately 2.2 million Emergency Department Visits; 280 thousand hospitalizations and more than 50 thousand deaths in the US.
• TBI is a contributing factor to a third of all injury–related deaths in the U.S.
• About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild traumatic brain injury.
• Direct medical costs and indirect costs of TBI, such as lost productivity, totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in 2000.
• Children aged 0 to 4 years, older adolescents aged 15 to 19 and adults aged 65 and older are most likely to sustain a TBI.

• In every age group, TBI rates are higher for males than for females.
• Falls are the leading cause of TBI (40.5%) but Motor vehicle-traffic injury is the leading cause of TBI–related death.

• Always wear a seat belt in a motor vehicle.
• Don’t drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Wear appropriate head protection while riding a bicycle, skateboard, motorcycle, etc., or when playing any type of contact sports.
• Preventing TBI in older adults:  Install handrails in bathrooms and in both sides of staircases, remove area rugs, get regular vision checkups, etc.
• Preventing TBI in children: Install safety gates at the top of the stairway, keep stairs clear of clutter, install window guards to prevent falls, put a nonslip mat in the bathtub or shower, don’t let children play on fire escapes or balconies. A small child should always sit in the back seat of a car and be secured in child safety seats appropriate for his/her size and weight.