Injury severity
After a traumatic brain injury, whether or not the person was actually unconscious, a state occurs where the person seems to be aware of things around them but is confused and disorientated. They are not able to remember everyday things or conversations, and often do or say bizarre things. This is called Post-Traumatic Amnesia (PTA), and is a stage through which the person will pass.
The length of PTA and/or loss of consciousness are important as they give an indication of the severity of the injury.
The term 'Coma' is often used to describe longer periods of unconsciousness.
The table below gives a rough guide to how these measures affect the severity of the injury, although it is worth noting that everyone is different and categorising injuries in this way doesn't always give an accurate measure of the long-term effects.
| | Loss of consciousness | Post traumatic amnesia |
|---|
| Minor brain injury | < 15 mins | < 1 hour |
| Moderate brain injury | 15 mins - 6 hours | 1 hour - 24 hours |
| Severe brain injury | 6 hours - 48 hours | 24 hours - 7 days |
| Very severe brain injury | > 48 hours | > 7 days |
Our factsheets 'Post Tramatic Amnesia' and 'Coma Questions' describe these states in more detail.
Use the links on the left to read more about the different types of brain injury.