I Have a What? A Guide for Coping with Moderate-to-Severe TBI

RRTC ON COMMUNITY INTEGRATION OF PERSONS WITH TBIBased on information obtained from these measures and from results of medical testing,like a CT scan or MRI of the head, the injury is classified as one of the following:Uncomplicated MildComplicated MildModerateSevereMild TBIA person with a mild TBI will have a loss of consciousness for 30 minutes or less.However, some people with mild TBI do not lose consciousness at all. GCS scoresat the time of injury range from 13 to 15. This means that the person can talk,can follow commands, and can open their eyes when asked. Another name for amild traumatic brain injury is a “concussion.”Sometimes, the GCS score can be lower at first. This low score may be due tothings other than the brain injury. If medication, alcohol, or drugs are used beforeor after the injury, the GCS score can be lowered. However, if the person quicklybegins scoring in the “mild” range after the effects of the medications or alcoholhave worn off, the injury would be considered “mild.” Post-traumatic amnesia(PTA) that lasts less than 24 hours is considered to mean a mild injury. While inPTA, a person may experience a period of confusion and/or memory loss.UNCOMPLICATED MILD TBI:An injury is called “uncomplicated” if the person has a mild TBI and there are NOproblems seen on CT scan or MRI of the brain.COMPLICATED MILD TBI:An injury is called “complicated” if the person has a mild TBI and there areproblems seen on a CT scan or MRI of the brain. Problems such as bruising ofPage 7