Children with concussions

Chumplet · Feb 17, 2007

In my hockey romance, the six-year old daughter is involved in a car accident where the care rolls slowly down an incline. She's strapped into a booster seat in the back, but not a child seat. She smacks her head on the window beside her and is unconscious for about ten minutes.

What would be the hospital procedure to treat this injury? The paramedics use a back board, etc. (she's awake by then) and take her to the hospital about ten minutes away. After an MRI or a scan, is she allowed to stay overnight and sleep under observation?
Edit: I see there's already a thread about this question. I was a few hours late on this one - I'll just skip over and read the answers there! Ferget I said anythin'.....

ColoradoGuy · Feb 17, 2007

No, you have a few additional issues:

She would be transported on a back board with a hard cervical spine collar
Ten minutes of true unconsciousness would be really, really long for a simple concusion. Make it about 10-15 minutes of memory loss.
She would get an uncontrasted head CT in the ER, not an MRI
She would be kept overnight with that history and mechanism of injury.

Sandi LeFaucheur · Feb 17, 2007

I think whether or not she's admitted would depend on her reactions. If she's unconcious for 10 minutes, I would think she'd be admitted overnight. If the CAT/MRI shows anything, she may well be taken to Sick Kids. (See my post on the other posting.)

Oops, I diddled around so long ColoradoGuy posted before me! Listen to him, not me, because he's a doctor and I'm just a mother with a kid who spent a lot of time falling on his head.

Aesposito · Feb 18, 2007

ColoradoGuy said:
No, you have a few additional issues:

She would be transported on a back board with a hard cervical spine collar

Ten minutes of true unconsciousness would be really, really long for a simple concusion. Make it about 10-15 minutes of memory loss.

Agreed. Make her unconscious for a minute at the most (if you absolutely must for plot purposes, although I advise against it), memory loss or sleepy /groggy for a little bit after that, then maybe puking with a headache for several hours after that. They will definitely keep her overnight for observation then.

In 10 years of EMS, I've never seen anyone lose consciousness for more than a minute with that kind of mechanism of injury. Windshields, however, are another story.........

Also, FYI, many paramedics these days carry something called a "papoose board" for smaller children, it's smaller than a backboard, involves velcro straps that hold a child's c-spine without a c-collar. A six year old would defininitely fit in one....

Audrey

Children with concussions

Chumplet

This hat is getting too hot

ColoradoGuy

I've seen worse.

Sandi LeFaucheur

Aesposito