Hartford Hospital

Learn About Conditions and Procedures

What is Trauma?

What is Trauma?Trauma is a serious injury or shock to the body. It is caused by a physical force such as violence or an accident. The injury may be complicated by psychiatric, behavioral, and social factors.

It is critical to have an entire team immediately available to provide care to an injured patient 24-hours a day. This teamwork starts at the scene of the injury where a coordinated, statewide pre-hospital medical system rapidly transports the injured patient from the scene to the hospital providing the appropriate level of care according to criteria established in the statewide trauma regulations. Once at the hospital, a complete team of surgeons, emergency physicians and nurses continue the life-saving treatment.

This team approach to care of the injured patient has had a dramatic impact on saving lives.

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Massive Bleeding

Injuries take many forms. The most advanced hospitals can treat injuries with a variety of approaches that involve well-known ones, like surgery, and newer ones where minimally invasive procedures can replace some surgeries.

As a Level 1 Trauma Center, Hartford Hospital has Interventional Radiologists as part of the Trauma Team. They perform procedures such as "embolization" which is a recognized interventional radiology technique that is used to treat trauma patients with massive bleeding.

Click here to see some of the advanced interventional techniques available at Hartford Hospital



Learn more about trauma, or search below to learn about other health conditions.

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Definition | Reasons for Test | Possible Complications | What to Expect | Call Your Doctor

Definition

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test. It is used to look at the electrical activity in the brain.

Placement of Sensors for an EEG

Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Reasons for Test

An EEG may be done to:

  • Help diagnose seizures
  • Assess if brain function has been affected by certain conditions and diseases, such as:

Possible Complications

There are no major complications associated with this test.

What to Expect

Depending on the reason for your EEG, you may be given some of the following instructions:

  • Ask your doctor whether to stop any medicines, such as stimulants, prior to the test.
  • Avoid caffeine for eight hours before the test.
  • Shampoo your hair the day of the test. Do not use hairspray or gel that day.
  • If you are having a sleep-deprived EEG, you may need to stay awake the night before the test. You should also arrange for a ride to and from the test.
  • If you are prone to seizures, arrange for a ride to and from the test.

You will sit in a chair or lie on a cot. Electrodes will be placed on your scalp with special gel or paste. The electrodes will record the brain's electrical activity. You will be asked to close your eyes and be still for most of the test. Depending on the reason for the test, there may be other steps such as:

  • You may be asked to breathe deeply and rapidly.
  • The technician may turn on a strobe light that sends fast pulses of light.

In some cases, the doctor will make a video recording of the test.

The technician will remove the electrodes, and you will be able to go home.

Talk to your doctor about restarting any medicines you may have stopped.

The test may take about one hour. In some cases, an EEG is done overnight or over a number of days. The test may be done at home or in the hospital.

No, an EEG is painless.

A specialist will review your test results. Your doctor will get a report within 1-2 weeks of your test and talk to you about the results.

Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor if you have a seizure disorder and you have a change in your regular seizure pattern once you have restarted your anti-seizure medicine.

RESOURCES:

National Institutes of Health

http://www.nih.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Epilepsy Canada

http://www.epilepsy.ca

References:

EEG (Electroencephalogram). KidsHealth website. Available at: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/eeg.html#. Updated September 2008. Accessed August 31, 2012.

Seizure in adults. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated August 2, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012.

Seizure in children. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated August 2, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012.

Shevell M, Ashwal S, Donley D, et al. Practice parameter: Evaluation of the child with global developmental delay: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and The Practice Committee of the Child Neurology Society. Neurology. 2003;60:367-380.

Last reviewed September 2012 by Rimas Lukas, MD

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.