Discussion Board: Option 3 – Fictitious Brain Injury

A 60-year-old African American male was walking in an alleyway when he was knocked
down by a speeding car. He hit his head on the pavement and lost consciousness. Passersby
immediately called an ambulance, and he was quickly rushed to the nearby hospital and admitted
to the intensive care unit for stabilization. The patient lost consciousness for nearly five hours
and remained in the ICU while in an altered state of consciousness for another two days. He was
placed on intravenous medication, breathing assistance, and supportive care. He remained in the
ICU for nearly a week before being transferred to the general ward for further assessment and
care. Before being transferred from the ICU, he underwent a craniotomy, with physicians
confirming that his independent function measure (FIM) scores are within the normal range for
transfer to the general ward.
After being transferred to the general ward, physicians began suspecting a potential brain
injury based on the patient’s symptoms, including a persistent headache that keeps worsening,
confusion, feeling sick, and personality changes, like having rapid mood swings and being
unusually aggressive. Doctors have also noticed other signs like feeling drowsy, having difficulty
keeping eyes open, speech problems (slurred speech), vision problems (double vision), loss of
movement (paralysis) on one part of the body, frequent falls and problems walking, seizures
(fits), and recurrent loss of consciousness. Doctors have recommended diagnostic imaging to
determine the exact part of the brain that the patient suffered during the accident to initiate
specific treatment and rehabilitation.