Question

Please only provide short answers for the discussion topic and the case study question. No more than 3 sentence response.

• Discussion Topic: What are the three major causes of brain damage in childhood?
• Discussion Topic: Why would you use distraction versus traction?

Case Study:

Adam is a 6-year-old boy who dove headfirst in the shallow end of a swimming pool. Unable to move, he sank to the bottom of the pool and was rescued by his mother. His father called the emergency medical services (EMS) while the mother provided mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The EMS arrived and continued the resuscitation and placed him in a cervical collar. Adam was placed on a backboard and began to breathe on his own while en route to a trauma center. The neurologic assessment revealed paralysis of the upper and lower extremities, and cervical spine x-ray images and a magnetic resonance image (MRI) confirmed a C6-C7 complete transection injury. The patient was intubated before going into surgery for decompression of the injury.

1. Into what types of shock could the patient go? What symptoms did the patient exhibit?

Answer 1

DISCUSSION TOPIC ANSWER 1: THREE MAJOR CAUSES OF BRAIN DAMAGE IN CHILDHOOD ARE:

1. ASPHYXIATION (means lack of oxygen) DURING BIRTH.

2. INFECTIONS like herpes, rubella, syphillis, cystitis, HiV in mother which transmits to child at delivery time.

3. PHYSICAL DAMAGE that occurs during delivery like prolonged pressure on skull of baby by mother's pelvis, or by instruments used during pregnancy.

DISCUSSION TOPIC ANSWER 2: In both DISTRACTION AND TRACTION, force is applied by therapist, but the difference is that in DISTRACTION the therapist applies force at a specific level or area of SPINE and in TRACTION the force is applied throughout the spine and is usually generalised. I would use DISTRACTION over TRACTION, because it is more specific and hence more inpactful at an area were therapy is actually required and needed.

CASE STUDY ANSWER 1: The patient may go into NEUROGENIC SHOCK. Cervical spine injury is associated with neurogenic shock resulting from sudden loss of sympathetic tone, which causes autonomic instability leading to Hypotension (low blood pressure), Bradyarrhythmia and temperature dysregulation.

CASE STUDY ANSWER 2: Symptoms that patient will exhibit are:

1. Difficulty breathing.

2. Chest pain.

3. Bradycardia ( slow heart rate).

4. Cyanosis ( bluish discoloration of lips and fingers).

5.Hypothermia ( decreased body temperature).