ABSTRACT
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has been defined by multiple different organized bodies. This reflects the common nature of mTBI and range of medical personnel requested to treat patients with concussion. In the last decade concussion has gained attention in mainstream media, specifically American football falling under scrutiny. Following a head injury, there is a brief, transient period of excitatory activity lasting for a few hours. This is followed by a metabolic depression lasting up to 1 month, and this has been demonstrated with positron emission tomography imaging studies. Typically, the prognosis for patients with mTBI is excellent, but there are certain issues patients should be aware of. Neurologic deterioration from a delayed hemorrhage is possible after concussion, but rare. After mTBI, patients can typically be monitored for less than 24 hours, avoiding a costly hospital admission. The advanced practice health professional will certainly play a role in evaluating the mTBI patient.
