Brooklyn

The office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other members of Congress launched an appeal to the Obama administration late last week. The appeal was to see to it that all brain-injury patients are provided with the full range of rehabilitation services available to the injured congresswoman.

In a letter signed by chief of staff Pia Carusone, Giffords’ office urged Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to include brain-trauma rehabilitation services as essential benefits in its Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, despite budget cuts looming in Congress.

Five months after a gunman shot her in the head at point-blank range during a public appearance, Giffords is still undergoing rehabilitation care at TIRR Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston. Her staff only provides limited updates on her condition. Most updates given by her staff refer to ‘progresses’ and ‘improvements.’

New York Brain Injury Lawyers have documented a decrease in the killed:wounded ratio thanks to advances in medical science. Less than 1 in 10 patients die from their combat-related injuries. Even on the battlefield, there have been great medical innovations. Clinical improvements used to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) include early decompressive craniectomy, neuro-critical care, cerebral angiography, transcranial Doppler, hypertonic saline, TBI clinical management guidelines, among other techniques.

All the new medical procedures have resulted in a greater survival rate for fighters injured in combat. This, however, leaves a great many with debilitating injuries, which means new procedures for rehabilitation must be developed.

The press reports the frequency of explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) as around 40-60% of deployed U.S. combatants. Another report estimates as many as 320,000 or 20% of all forces deployed suffer from some kind of TBI. There is little evidence to support these claims and a comprehensive study of bTBI has yet to occur.

Articles Posted in Brooklyn

Gifford’s Office Focuses on Brain Injury Care for All

Less than 1 in 10 patients die from their combat-related injuries