FreeMD® Skull Fracture Home Care: Neuro Checks

Skull Fracture

neuro checks

Skull Fracture Home Care: Neuro Checks

In skull fracture, neuro checks should be performed once an hour, for the first 24 hours:

Make sure the person can be awakened
Make sure the person can walk
Make sure the person can speak normally
Make sure the person can move extremities normally

Seek medical care immediately for:

Repeated vomiting
Vision changes
Abnormal eye muscle exam
Abnormal eye pupil exam
Arm numbness (unilateral)
Leg numbness (unilateral)
Arm and leg numbness (unilateral)
Arm weakness (unilateral)
Leg weakness (unilateral)
Arm and leg weakness (unilateral)
Difficulty speaking
Difficulty walking
Loss of consciousness
Abnormal behavior
Memory loss
Fainting
Confusion
Seizure
Coma

Continue to Skull Fracture Home Care: Warning Signs

View more Sinus problems and infection topics

Related Topics:

Brain contusion
Concussion
Epidural hematoma
Head injury
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subdural hematoma
More...

Head injury with laceration
Head injury without laceration

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Last Updated: Nov 5, 2008 References

Authors: Stephen J. Schueler, MD; John H. Beckett, MD; D. Scott Gettings, MD

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Skull Fracture References:

Bullock MR, Chesnut R, Ghajar J, Gordon D, Hartl R, Newell DW, Servadei F, Walters BC, Wilberger J; Surgical Management of Traumatic Brain Injury Author Group. Surgical management of depressed cranial fractures. Neurosurgery. 2006 Mar;58(3 Suppl):S56-60; discussion Si-iv.
Edwards P, Arango M, Balica L, et al. CRASH trial collaborators. Final results of MRC CRASH, a randomised placebo-controlled trial of intravenous corticosteroid in adults with head injury-outcomes at 6 months. Lancet. 2005 Jun 4-10;365(9475):1957-9.
Grappling with traumatic brain injury. Lancet. 2007 Dec 8;370(9603):1879.
Lee AC, Ou Y, Fong D. Depressed skull fractures: a pattern of abusive head injury in three older children. Child Abuse Negl. 2003 Nov;27(11):1323-9.
McKinley J. New challenges in assessing and managing concussion in sports. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Oct 1;76(7):948-9.
Ropper AH, Gorson KC. N Engl J Med. 2007 Jan 11;356(2):166-72. Review. No abstract available. Erratum in: N Engl J Med. 2007 Apr 26;356(17):1794.
Smits M, Dippel DW, de Haan GG, Dekker HM, Vos PE, Kool DR, Nederkoorn PJ, Hofman PA, Twijnstra A, Tanghe HL, Hunink MG. External validation of the Canadian CT Head Rule and the New Orleans Criteria for CT scanning in patients with minor head injury. JAMA. 2005 Sep 28;294(12):1519-25.
Tender GC, Awasthi D. Risk stratification in mild head injury patients: the head injury predictive index. J La State Med Soc. 2003 Nov-Dec;155(6):338-42.