Head Injuries: When Is Immediate Hospitalization Required?

Rider:

Signs of deteriorating mental status may indicate serious, life-threatening brain injury

Injured football player Regular post-concussion monitoring is essential in the first 24 to 48 hours after injury to check for signs of deteriorating mental status that may indicate a more serious brain injury requiring immediate hospitalization.

An athlete should be immediately taken to the hospital for evaluation (including neuroimaging) if he:

Has a headache that gets worse
Is very drowsy or can't be awakened (woken up)
Can't recognize people or places
Experiences repeated vomiting
Behaves unusually, seems confused or is very irritable
Experiences seizures (arms and legs jerk uncontrollably)
Has weak or numb arms or legs
Is unsteady on his feet; or
Has slurred speech

Source: Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) [1]

Revised and updated September 16, 2011

Teaser title:

Signs of Deteriorating Mental Status After Head Injury Require Immediate Hospitalization

Teaser image:

Teaser text:

Deteriorating mental status after head trauma may indicate a more serious, potentially life-threatening brain injury requiring immediate hospitalization.

Links:
[1] http://sportconcussions.com/html/SCAT2.pdf
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/parents-critical-participants-in-recognition-treatment-recovery-concussion
[3] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/sport-concussion-assessment-tool-evaluation-and-management
[4] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/concussion-signs-and-symptoms-physical-cognitive-emotional-sleep-related
[5] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/signs-requiring-immediate-hospitalization-after-concussion