Q: What is a Brain Injury?

A: A brain injury is commonly called Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). This is an umbrella term that covers any brain injury that has occurred since birth and has a rapid onset:

• Trauma/Traumatic –sudden trauma from an external force causes a brain injury, e.g., car accident, assaults, falls or accidents at home or work.

• Vascular accident – for example, a blockage in the blood supply in the brain, e.g., stroke or a brain haemorrhage, which can happen in or around the brain

• Hypoxic/Anoxic – caused by an interruption to the brain’s oxygen supply, e.g., cardiac arrest, suffocation, very low blood pressure etc.

• Brain Tumour

• Infection, such as meningitis, encephalitis, or other inflammation, such as vasculitis.

• Other toxic or metabolic insults – e.g., hypoglycaemia, carbon monoxide poisoning, illicit drug use