Blows to the head generally do not need to be treated urgently, however, when the trauma is very severe, such as what happens in traffic accidents or falls from great heights, it is necessary to know what to do to reduce or avoid possible complications .
Therefore, it is important to call an ambulance, check if the person is conscious and start cardiac massage if the person does not respond to calls. Furthermore, after the accident, the person may experience persistent vomiting and, in these cases, it is important to lay them on their side, being careful not to make sudden movements with their neck, placing support, such as a coat or pillow, under their head.
First aid for head trauma
If head trauma is suspected, you should:
- Call an ambulancecalling 192;
- Check if the person is conscious:
- Keep the victim immobilizedavoiding touching the neck, as there may be damage to the spine;
- Stop bleeding, if there are any, applying light pressure to the area, with a cloth, gauze or clean compress;
- Monitor the victim until the ambulance arrives, observing if she breathes. Start the massage if she stops breathing.
It is important that first aid for head trauma is carried out correctly, to avoid possible complications, such as coma or loss of movement of a limb, for example. Learn about the possible complications of head trauma.
How to identify a head injury
The first signs that help identify when it is necessary to use this type of first aid include:
- Severe bleeding from the head or face;
- Exit of blood or liquid through the ears or nose;
- Loss of consciousness or excessive drowsiness;
- Intense nausea and uncontrollable vomiting;
- Confusion, difficulty speaking or loss of balance.
Head trauma is more common in situations where there is a very strong blow to the head, however, in the case of the elderly or children, trauma can occur even in simple falls.
If there are no symptoms after the accident, it is important to monitor the person for at least 12 hours, as there may be a small amount of bleeding that accumulates and only presents symptoms after some time.
Understand more about what happens in cases of head trauma.
