First Aid: Assessing Head Injuries - A Step-by-Step Guide

Head injury is one of the most common reasons for death in the wilderness. By asking some important questions and conducting a careful examination, a rescuer may be able to assess whether an injured person might have suffered injuries to the head.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber Or Latex Gloves
• Surgical Masks
• Powerful Flashlight
• Pens
• White Paper
• White paper

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Instructions

Setup

• 1

  Put on rubber gloves and a surgical mask before touching the injured person.

The Exam

• 2

  Ask the injured person if he or she has a headache, is experiencing difficulties with vision, is feeling a lack of balance or is nauseated. If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," suspect a head injury.

• 3

  Feel the injured person's skull and face, and note bruising, lacerations, bleeding, blood or fluids in the nose or ears, depressions of the skull, or damage to the eyes. If any of these are found, suspect a head injury. See "How to Conduct a Secondary Survey of the Head."

• 4

  Look at the injured person's skull and face for any bruising or discoloration, especially behind the ears or around the eyes. If any bruising is seen, suspect a head injury.

• 5

  Take the injured person's pulse and respiratory rate. (See "How to Take a Pulse" and "How to Take a Respiratory Rate.") If the pulse is slow or bounding, or if the respiratory rate is irregular, suspect a head injury.

• 6

  Shine a flashlight or headlamp into the injured person's eyes and observe how the pupils respond to the light. If the pupils are unequal in size or react slowly to the light by barely contracting, suspect a head injury.

Record Results

• 7

  Write down your observations, and hand these over when care is transferred to a medical professional.