Head Injury

When Carpooling Goes Wrong: Analyzing Dexter S4E2

/ Jordyn Redwood / Leave a comment

Ah, Dexter. Few shows juggle serial killing, dark humor, and wildly inaccurate hospital scenes quite like you. In Season 4, Episode 2, our favorite blood-spatter analyst wrecks his van—with a dead body conveniently riding shotgun in the back—and winds up in the ER. What follows is a crash course in how not to portray medicine on television.

Let’s dissect, shall we? (Pun very much intended.)

The ER doctor shines a light into Dexter’s eyes. Normal practice? Sure. But then we’re treated to the statement that his pupils dilate. Pupils constrict when you shine a light into them. They dilate in darkness. This is how the human body properly works.

Next, the doctor looks at Dexter’s CT scan and announces, “You’ve sustained a concussion.” implying that concussions are diagnosed this way. Concussions can be clinically diagnosed, based on symptoms like headache, confusion, dizziness, and loss of consciousness. You don’t need a CT scan to tell you that, and a CT isn’t going to show a concussion anyway. If it does, congratulations—you’re likely now dealing with a bleed, not a simple concussion.

But hey, why rely on pesky medical standards when you can dramatically gesture at a glowing scan instead?

Then comes one of my favorite relics of outdated medical lore: the “Don’t let him sleep” after head injury rule. Dexter is told not to sleep for twelve hours, as if a good nap might somehow erase him from existence.

In reality? We don’t keep people awake anymore after they’ve suffered a head injury if they feel like they need to sleep. That advice has gone the way of lobotomies. Any injured body part needs rest to heal. The brain rests by sleeping. Sleep is good and beneficial for the head injured patient. The guidance is: let the patient rest, check in periodically if symptoms worsen, and maybe—just maybe—don’t torture the poor guy who just got his bell rung trying to hide his crimes.

Ultimate lesson– don’t get into a car accident with a body in the back of your van that the police are going to tow.

Which show do you think butchers medical accuracy the most and which on gets it right?

Is a Patient With a Concussion Admitted to the Hospital?

/ Jordyn Redwood / 3 Comments

Recently, I finished a book that included the following medical scenario. The main character fell into a river and suffered a broken arm and concussion. During her ER visit, the doctor tells her she needs to be admitted overnight for observation because of the concussion.

This is a common medical myth (along with the one that a CT scan is required in all instances of head injury– it’s not.)

A simple concussion does not need an overnight hospital stay. Let me qualify what I mean by simple. You receive a hit on the head and have one or some of the following global symptoms (dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and amnesia to the events.) Global symptoms mean more than just the bump on your head hurts.

This is really how concussion is diagnosed. CT scan is reserved for concerns of bleeding and/or fracture that might require a neurosurgical intervention. Typically, symptoms associated with bleeding and fracture are persistent and more dramatic. Headache pain is not relieved with medication and/or worsens. There is more than one episode of vomiting. Persistent confusion. Perseverating– saying the same thing over and over. Inability to move part of the body. Decreased responsiveness. Amnesia that doesn’t improve.

A patient with a simple concussion is monitored in the ER for several hours. Typically, we’ll give them medication based on their symptoms to see if they improve. For instance, a patient that has nausea, headache and dizziness will get an anti-nausea medication and an over-the-counter pain reliever like Tylenol or Ibuprofen. If their symptoms improve and/or resolve and they can hold something down to eat then they are discharged home with instructions on when to return to the ER.

In order to be admitted into the hospital the patient must exhibit severe, persistent symptomology and/or have bleeding and/or fracture.

In absence of these, the patient will be discharged home.

Author Question: Hockey and Head Injuries

/ Jordyn Redwood / Leave a comment

Elaine asks:

A hockey player gets knocked down in a fight and hits his head (with his helmet in place) on the ice. Could he be unconscious? I know the trainer would come out on the ice and possibly a doctor, but if he is unconscious, I’m assuming they’d call for the stretcher and put him in the ambulance as a precaution.

I was going to have him regain consciousness in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but wonder what would the paramedics/EMT (which/who would it be) be doing in the ambulance? What would they do if he “came to”? And what would happen when they reached the hospital?


Jordyn Says:

Yes, it would be possible for a hockey player to be knocked unconscious with a fall on the ice even with his helmet on. If he stays unconscious, then he’s going to need to be transported to a hospital. Baseline treatment would be C-spine precautions (C-collar, back board), supplemental oxygen even if he is breathing adequately on his own, and likely an IV.

If he wakes up in the ambulance, they’ll first orient him to what happened. “Hey Mike, my name’s Roy and I’m a paramedic taking care of you. You took quite a hit on the ice and you were knocked out. To be safe, we put a c-collar on you and put you on a backboard to protect your back. We’re on the way to Swedish Medical Center to get you checked out.”

Then they’ll assess him. Can he move everything? Can he feel everything? Does he know his middle name? Does he know the month? Does he remember any part of the accident? Does he know what city he’s in?

At the hosptial in the adult world– you’re more likely to get a CT of the head for this type of injury. So upon arrival to the ER– the nurse would check his vital signs, do a neuro exam (as described above), and make sure the IV is patent.

The doctor will likely order plain x-rays of his neck and spine and a CT of his head. If all that checks out– he would probably be discharged home.

Author Question: Death by Trophy

/ Jordyn Redwood / Leave a comment

Susan Asks:

I have a woman murdered when she is hit on the back of the head with a metal trophy. The trophy is cup shaped so the largest part of it is a thinner metal. I expect the trophy will dent from the impact, but I’d also expect that there would be blood as a result of the injury. Would this kind of injury cause bleeding and if so can you give me a general idea of how much?

Jordyn Says:

It depends. Blows to the head can go either way. They can just cause internal bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) and/or an external scalp laceration that would bleed A LOT depending on it’s size and depth. Scalp wounds are known for being pretty bloody.

These injuries can be nice for your character as you have some leeway medically to do them in as you please.