Reduce head injuries

With March 20 celebrated as World Head Injury Awareness Day, ER24 urged people to use safety belts, refrain from speeding and driving recklessly, to use child car seats and be alert while on the road.

ER24 said this will assist in limiting the likelihood and impact of head injuries.

“As with most injuries, prevention is better than cure,” ER24s Dr Vernon Wessels.

“The best way to reduce head injuries is to try and avoid the impact in the first place.

“Where potential impact is unavoidable, wear the appropriate headgear.

“Use the appropriate restraint in vehicles.

“Using a car seat for children that is correctly fitted protects them from injury.

“It also protects other occupants from being hit by an unrestrained child in the event of a collision.

Wessels said people must seek medical attention if a head injury leads to loss of consciousness or co-ordination, visual disturbances and loss in memory no matter how short the effects may have been.

“Life-threatening brain injuries can initially present very subtle and a medical assessment will determine if further tests or admission for observation are required,” said Wessels.

“Bleeding and swelling of the brain is potentially treatable with good outcomes if done before serious complications occur.

“The most catastrophic event is a missed bleed inside the skull cavity that can cause severe disability or death.

“There are, however, subtle effects that can present at a later stage such as personality changes, co-ordination problems, speech difficulty and memory and concentration problems.”