Links between traumatic brain injury and ballistic pressure waves originating in the thoracic cavity and extremities

Abstract

Purpose: Identifying patients at risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is important because research suggests prophylactic treatments to reduce risk of long-term sequelae.

Method: This review considers results from the lateral fluid percussion model of TBI, ballistic experiments in animal models and analyses of human studies.

Results: Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that bullet impacts distant from the brain produce pressure waves that travel to the brain and can retain sufficient magnitude to induce brain injury.

Conclusions: The link to long-term sequelae could be investigated via epidemiological studies of patients who were gunshot in the chest to determine whether they experience elevated rates of epilepsy and other neurological sequelae.

• Ballistic pressure wave
• mild TBI
• gunshot wound