How to administer first aid for a concussion

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 16, 2024
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After a concussion occurs, the injured should be quickly moved from a dangerous environment to a safe area. The injured person should lie flat and rest quietly without sitting up or standing. The head can be appropriately cooled, and it is important to keep the body warm. For patients who are unconscious, it is necessary to keep the airway clear and closely observe their consciousness and pupils. If there are airway secretions or vomiting, they should be cleaned up promptly. If the patient has already experienced respiratory or circulatory problems, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be performed. After the aforementioned emergency treatment, the next step is to transport the patient to a nearby well-equipped hospital for further diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How to administer first aid for a concussion

After a concussion occurs, the injured should be quickly moved from a dangerous environment to a safe area. The injured person should lie flat and rest quietly without sitting up or standing. The head can be appropriately cooled, and it is important to keep the body warm. For patients who are unconscious, it is necessary to keep the airway clear and closely observe their consciousness and pupils. If there are airway secretions or vomiting, they should be cleaned up promptly. If the patient has already experienced respiratory or circulatory problems, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be performed. After the aforementioned emergency treatment, the next step is to transport the patient to a nearby well-equipped hospital for further diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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How long should one rest for a concussion?

Concussions generally require about one to two weeks of rest, depending mainly on the specific symptoms of the patient. If the symptoms are relatively mild and the injury was not particularly severe, then about a week of rest is usually sufficient for returning to normal work and study. In some cases, if the concussion was relatively severe at the time of injury and subsequent complications or sequelae occur, then the rest period may need to be appropriately extended, possibly to about a month, depending on the patient's specific symptoms. In the vast majority of cases, resting for two weeks is generally sufficient for returning to normal work and study without involving any special issues. As long as medical advice is followed and treatment is correctly administered, many concussions can heal completely.

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Written by Li Pei
Neurosurgery
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Symptoms of concussion

Concussion is the mildest form of traumatic brain injury. The symptoms of concussion primarily include: first, a brief period of clouded consciousness shortly after the injury, typically lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes, generally not exceeding half an hour; second, retrograde amnesia, where the patient cannot clearly recall the events during the injury, but memory of events prior to the injury remains clear; third, common symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, poor sleep, and decreased memory; fourth, the patient's cranial examination reveals no significant abnormalities, and lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid color and tests are normal.

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Written by Gao Yi Shen
Neurosurgery
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concussion symptoms

The symptoms of a concussion must be judged according to the situation. Different types of individuals may exhibit various clinical symptoms, and not all symptoms described in textbooks will necessarily appear. Many will experience dizziness, headache, vomiting, nausea, and other related clinical symptoms; some may experience transient epileptic seizures, limb numbness and weakness, or speech impairments; some individuals might also experience retrograde amnesia, meaning they forget the events that occurred at the time of the injury; and some may enter a state of coma, lasting more than five minutes but less than half an hour. Therefore, these are all symptoms of a concussion, but not everyone will experience them, and some may also have additional symptoms, which should be assessed based on the situation at the time.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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post-concussion syndrome

For patients with concussions, especially those with mild concussions, they generally do not retain obvious sequelae. Most patients gradually alleviate or even eliminate the original symptoms after resting. However, some patients with more severe concussions still experience repeated headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and other discomfort during the recovery period. At this time, it is appropriate to treat patients by using some brain-enhancing and nerve-nourishing medications. Meanwhile, patients should be encouraged to actively participate in social activities and do some simple physical exercises, which can help stabilize and recover from the condition. Additionally, it is also suggested that concussion patients receive appropriate psychological counseling. (Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a physician.)