Peripheral nerve injury of the upper extremity commonly occurs in patients who participate in recreational (e.g., sports) and occupational activities. Nerve injury should be considered when a patient experiences pain, weakness, or paresthesias in the absence of a known bone, soft tissue, or vascular injury.
Brain injury occurs when the tissues of the brain suffer an acute injury that results in temporary, chronic, or permanent damage and/or dysfunction. The brain is a very sensitive organ subject to injury from a variety of insults. Some of the major causes of brain injury include trauma, lack of oxygen (hypoxic/anoxic injury), lack of blood flow (ischemia), infection, and metabolic disorders.
Brain injury â lack of oxygen to the brain, or asphyxia. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is the brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation to the brain, also commonly known as intrapartum asphyxia. The newbornâs body can compensate for brief periods of depleted oxygen, but if the asphyxia lasts too long, brain tissue is destroyed. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy due to fetal or neonatal asphyxia is a leading cause of death or severe impairment among infants.