Craniocerebral injury
Traumatic brain injury or traumatic brain injury
It is the sudden injury to areas of the brain that occurs in car accidents, falls from height and blows to the head from objects. After the initial injury, microbleeds and swelling develop in various areas of the brain and processes that lead to damage and destruction of brain cells in the areas where they were injured. These lesions may be diffuse, small in size, spread over many areas of the brain or localised in two or three areas. In each patient, the head injuries are different, in terms of the damage and consequences caused.
Initially, the brain after a traumatic brain injury becomes disorganized and dysfunctional as a whole.
The clinical picture can vary from very severe - with the patient being comatose - to less severe, depending on the areas of damage and their extent.
After the initial shock to the brain, processes occur that help to reorganise it.
What does Euxia do for traumatic brain injury patients?
The Euxia Rehabilitation Center, treats patients with head injuries, not only of minor and moderate severity but also patients with severe brain injuries, immediately after discharge from the hospital.
The majority of patients are young people after car accidents and immediately a struggle begins for their survival and rehabilitation by the people of the Wellness Rehabilitation Centre.
Patients with severe Craniocerebral injury who are in a comatose state with tracheostomy (tube in the trachea to breathe on their own or with the help of a ventilator) and gastrostomy (tube in the stomach to be fed), are treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of our Centre.
Η Intensive Care Unit (PMR) is a specially designed room, fully equipped, so that the vital - important functions of the body, such as the heartbeat, blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, blood pressure, heart function, temperature, etc., are constantly monitored 24 hours a day.The fluids that the patient receives and expels every day are also monitored and continuously evaluated by the experienced doctors and nurses of Wellness.
This stage is crucial for the patient's progression.
Brain functions are disrupted.
The body is malfunctioning. The dysfunction of one process affects the other and the body becomes disorganised and prone to complications such as infections of the urinary and respiratory tract, ectopic ossification*, cataracts (wounds in the body), ankylosis in the joints, underactive kidneys, disorders in the intestines, nutrition, hormones, etc.
Daily care, vigilance, regular information of the family, constant evaluation of the patient and his/her examinations by the scientific team, constant efforts to prevent complications, the rehabilitation treatments, is the daily struggle that the people of Wellbeing give together with the patient.
Every improvement is one step closer to success.
Every improvement gives the scientific team the strength to try harder.
Every patient with a Cerebral Palsy is a challenge, a personal bet of the scientific team to bring the patient back to an optimal condition, so that he can return to his home and work, having regained all his strength.
The feelings of the family are strong, with the main characteristics being anxiety for their man.
At Wellness, we empathise with their need for regular and detailed information, support and guidance.
We are a team together. Together with the family and the patient we fight the fight and expect success.
Most patients with Craniocerebral injury are improved, followed by the next stage with intensive rehabilitation programmes including combined physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, psycho-emotional support, pain therapy, pool therapy programmes, robotic gait and upper limb training systems, TDCS therapy, FES therapy, Biofeedback, TVPS therapy, virtual reality rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation programs and treatment time are individualized according to the problems, symptoms and needs of each patient.
At the Wellness Rehabilitation Center, there is no limit to the amount of treatment time per day.
The aim is for the treatment to be effective. For this reason, we dedicate as much treatment time as necessary for each patient to complete their program.
The stages of rehabilitation in patients with brain trauma
1ο Stadium: from the supine position to the sitting position
The important elements in 1ο stage is the support of general health (regulation of blood sugar and blood pressure because they are deregulated as a consequence of brain injuries, assessment of swallowing capacity and its treatment, urination and defecation control disorders, assessment of cardiorespiratory capacity and its support) and the prevention of complications (venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, urinary - respiratory infections, bedsores, intestinal, nutritional, hormonal disorders, etc.
Swallowing disorders need special attention at this stage. The risk is high for the patient's survival because of the chemical pneumonia caused by the food going into the lungs.
The test of swallowing ability is direct and is administered by a speech and language therapist. In many cases, endoscopic examination (FEES) with a flexible bronchoscope is required. Due to the urgency of the situation, this examination is performed within the Wellness Rehabilitation Centre by a specialist Pulmonologist to avoid unnecessary and time-consuming transport of the patient.
Also, special attention is needed in patients with head injuries due to the increased catabolism of the body that quickly leads to malnutrition and sarcopenia *13 (reduction in body muscle mass)
The objectives of the rehabilitation program in 1ο It's a stage:
- Apply the appropriate therapeutic stimuli to reorganise the brain
- To prevent the restriction of joint movement
- Improve the capacity of the lungs and heart
- The patient should be mobilised from bed as soon as possible because every day of bed rest results in a loss of 1% of muscle strength, 1% of muscle mass and 1% of endurance
- To be trained to be able to turn over on the bed on the side and to be able to get up to the sitting position
Important: Mixed aphasia, memory and perceptual disorders, concentration problems, confusion and general health problems make it difficult to achieve 1th Stadium. The 1ο Stage, is the most important for the patient's course of good progress.
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2ο Stadium: from the sitting position to the standing position
At this stage, at the Wellness Rehabilitation Center, for patients with brain trauma, advanced technology therapeutic equipment is used depending on the needs and the severity of the manifestations caused by the brain trauma, so that the appropriate therapeutic stimuli through the mechanism of good neuroplasticity, to achieve the upright posture.
At the same time, the Rehabilitation Program includes treatment, in case of upper limb paralysis, with equipment that evaluates the improvement and simultaneously treats by assisting the weak movements of the arms.
Also, training therapy of memory, judgement, perception, concentration, speech and language, psycho-emotional state, depending on the consequences of the brain injury for each patient.
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3ο Stadium: walking
The 3ο Stadium is the stage of the march towards independence.
This stage is characterized by the acquisition of dynamic balance for safe walking and learning the gait process that has been lost as a result of the brain injury.
Specialized rehabilitation equipment at this stage is crucial for safe walking.
The next step is learning to climb and descend stairs and assessment measurements to determine the risk of falling.
At the same time, the program includes therapy to restore the ability to grasp objects by hand, training to help the patient to be self-sufficient in clothing, feeding and personal hygiene, improving memory, concentration, psychological and behavioral state.
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At Euxia, after discharge we are by your side. There are outpatient clinics with appointments with the medical specialists you need, for monitoring and advice to keep you healthy.
