CASE STUDY

Case Study

Case Study

Case History

A.B is a 15 year old high school boy who completely lost his eye and a small portion of his skull in an accident while camping when a CO2 cartridge was thrown in the fire and exploded in his face. He has endured multiple reconstructive surgeries with futures ones needed to update, clean and improve the damaged site.

Biopsychology

A eye injury is any trauma that leads to injury of the scalp, skull, or brain. These injuries can range from a minor bump on the skull to a devastating brain injury. A eye injury can be classified as either closed or penetrating. In a closed eye injury, the eye sustains a blunt force by striking against an object. A concussion is a type of closed eye injury that involves the brain. In a penetrating eye injury, an object breaks through the skull and enters the brain. (This object is usually moving at a high speed like a windshield or another part of a motor vehicle.) Common causes of eye injury include traffic accidents, falls, physical assault, and accidents at home, work, outdoors, or while playing sports. Some eye injuries result in prolonged or non-reversible brain damage. This can occur as a result of bleeding inside the brain or forces that damage the brain directly. These more serious eye injuries may cause: changes in personality, emotions, or mental abilities, speech and language problems, loss of sensation, hearing, vision, taste, or smell, seizures, paralysis and coma (Saunders, 171).

Researchers first looked at rabbits with injured knees. They withdrew synovial fluid surrounding the knee cartilage and measured lubricin, a naturally-produced substance that protects the joint from wear. They found that lubricin completely disappeared from the rabbits in three weeks.

An observation of emergency room patients supported many of the findings observed with rabbits. Researchers took a retrospective look at the synovial fluid drawn from injured knees of emergency room patients to alleviate swelling. There was a wide range of lubricating ability, but overall, there was greater friction than in patients with no injuries. In addition, the study found an increase in production of CII peptides, which indicates early damage to joint cartilage.

Additionally, The doctor or health care provider may then order one of a series of numerous x-rays of the spine and or eye depending on what they believe the extent of the injury to entail. These can include series of the spine, neck and eye, or CT scans of the eye to rule out fluid accumulation on the brain and to check for any brain damage that may result from the injury. (Saunders, 173).

Family

The exact focus of the medical side of treatment for the trauma/injury is unique to each patient, and the extent of their injury. Usually this will include re- orientation to place time etc., providing of some sort of pain med, assessing/stopping the bleeding if any and the use of staples, stitches, cast or other appliances (medlineplus.org, 2005) The nursing side of the treatment and care for a eye ...