Skull Fractures Can Cause a Brain Bleed

Skull Fractures can Cause a Brain Bleed

Skull Fractures Can Cause a Brain Bleed

When someone is involved in a traumatic accident, whether it is an auto accident, slip and fall injury, or a truck accident, there is always the risk of a traumatic injury. Fortunately, when it comes to motor vehicles, most people remember to wear their seatbelt. While this restraint is nice for the chest and abdomen, there is no such restraint for the head. This means that the head is free to move around and collide with the window, steering wheel, or dashboard. If someone strikes this part of the car with enough force, a skull fracture might develop. According to information published by Best Practice, a subsection of the British Medical Journal:
  • The most common causes of a skull fracture are a fall, motor vehicle accident, or a physical assault.
  • Skull fractures can be either open or closed, with an open fracture communicating with the surface of the skin.
  • A skull fracture can have a single fracture line or multiple fracture lines.
  • A CT scan is the recommended imaging modality to identify skull fractures.
  • Numerous associated injuries can accompany a skull fracture, most notably a brain bleed.
It is the risk of associated brain bleed that can make skull fractures particularly dangerous. Therefore, it is important to understand how a brain bleed happens, the symptoms to watch out for, and the treatment of this serious complication.

How Does a Skull Fracture Lead to a Brain Bleed?

A brain bleed is a potentially serious complication of a skull fracture. If a skull fracture is comminuted, meaning it has broken into multiple pieces, one of these fragments could penetrate the brain tissue underneath. If this happens, the skull fragment could potentially sever one of the arteries or veins in the brain. If one of these vessels is cut, a brain bleed will develop. Depending on the location of the bleed in the brain, the results could be life-threatening.

Types of Brain Bleeds: Life-Threatening Risks

Some types of brain bleeds include:
  • Epidural Hematoma: An epidural hematoma results from a tear of the middle meningeal artery. This is what happens if people sustain a skull fracture in the parietal section of their brain, also called the temple.
  • Subdural Hematoma: A subdural hematoma occurs when a severe skull fracture tears multiple bridging veins in the skull. These veins are responsible for draining a section of the brain called the dura mater. It takes extreme force, such as being ejected from a car, to fracture this region of the skull and tear the bridging veins.
If someone has sustained a bleed in his or her brain, the severe risk stems from an increase in the intracranial pressure. If the pressure goes up in a confined space, it could lead to a herniation of the brain. To prevent this, emergency surgery could be needed to relieve the pressure. A herniation could irreparably damage some of the vital structures in the brain, such as the brainstem, which would ultimately result in death.
A brain bleed is a serious issue and has the potential to be fatal. Depending on the type and severity of the skull fracture, the chance of an associated brain bleed could be high. Therefore, whenever someone has sustained a skull fracture, it is important to meet with an experienced brain injury lawyer in Sacramento. The accident deserves a full investigation because you might be entitled to financial compensation.

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