Question

John and Thomas are in an automobile accident and are brought to the emergency room, both with head trauma. John seems to have sustained injuries to his temporal lobe while Thomas has an injury in the lower brainstem region including his medulla oblongata. Which patient would be likely to have an injury that is life-threatening? Why?

Answer 1

As thomas has injured his lower brainstem region including the medulla oblangata , this patient is more likely to have a life threatening injury as three parts of the brain-stem that is the pons midbrain and medulla oblangata work together to maintain the body's vital functions. When an injury occurs to any or all of these three areas, the consequences can be devastating.Heartbeat and breathing can stop which can cause death. The brain-stem can become compressed due to swelling leading to hemorrhaging and stroke. This may result in speech impairment, breathing difficulties, including sleep apnea and difficulty swallowing. In acute cases, there may be personality changes and memory loss. In severe cases, the result can be loss of consciousness, coma and paralysis. A victim may remain in a vegetative state for life, or death can suddenly occur from heart and lung failure. It’s inaccessible location, deep within the lower brain, makes treatments for brain-stem injuries non-existent.