Which description characterizes a closed head injury?

Which description characterizes a closed head injury?

• A. Gunshot wound only
• B. Blunt head injuries such as blast, vehicle rollover, fall
• C. Only open skull fractures
• D. Injuries that do not involve brain tissue

Answer: (B)

A closed head injury means the brain is injured while the skull remains intact. It results from blunt trauma that causes brain injury through acceleration/deceleration or overpressure without piercing the skull. That’s why blunt head injuries—like those from blasts, vehicle rollovers, or falls—fit this description best. In contrast, a gunshot wound involves penetrating the skull and brain, which makes it an open head injury; an open skull fracture is also open; and injuries that don’t involve brain tissue aren’t head injuries at all.

A closed head injury means the brain is injured while the skull remains intact. It results from blunt trauma that causes brain injury through acceleration/deceleration or overpressure without piercing the skull. That’s why blunt head injuries—like those from blasts, vehicle rollovers, or falls—fit this description best. In contrast, a gunshot wound involves penetrating the skull and brain, which makes it an open head injury; an open skull fracture is also open; and injuries that don’t involve brain tissue aren’t head injuries at all.