What is an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)?

There is no universally agreed definition of Acquired Brain Injury. Our definition is:

“Acquired Brain Injury is damage to the brain of sudden or rapid onset, occurring after birth and the neonatal period. It is differentiated from birth injuries, congenital abnormalities and progressive or degenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system” (Scottish Needs Assessment Programme Report 2000).

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
• Impact of Acquired Brain Injury
• Rehabilitation

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is designed to measure and record the conscious state of a person following a brain injury.  It aims to provide a reliable and objective means of recording the conscious state of a patient.  These recordings are used for the initial and subsequent assessments. The GCS is made up of three sections: the Eye Opening Response, the Verbal Response and the Motor Response.  The patient’s levels of responsiveness are assessed according to the criteria of the scale, with the patient being awarded a score between 3 (deep unconsciousness) and 15 (fully alert). The initial GCS score is a reliable indicator of early mortality and the need for neurosurgical intervention.  It can help predict long term outcome and likely levels of disability.  The GCS was first published in 1974 by Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett.

Indicators of severity of traumatic brain injury include:

• Depth of unconsciousness as assessed by GCS in the immediate aftermath of the injury.
• Duration of Post Traumatic Amnesia (i.e. the time from injury until the return of normal day-to-day memory).
• Duration of loss of consciousness/coma.
• Abnormalities detected on brain imaging.