Nassau

Published on: March 16, 2012

Bound Toddler Placed in Shower to Drown

by Stephen Bilkis

A baby girl from Colorado Springs is fighting for her life and, according to a doctor, suffers irreversible brain damage. The mother and aunt of the child are accused of taping the child’s wrists, ankles, eyes and mouth with tape, leaving her in a running shower, and then falling asleep. They are charged with attempted murder, and their trial is set to proceed at the end of the month.

The child’s 19-year-old mother and 50-year-old aunt were present for the preliminary hearing that determined there was enough evidence to proceed with a criminal trial. Both women are charged with attempted first degree murder and child abuse. The mother is also charged with two counts of crime of violence, each of which carries a sentence of up to 48 years in prison. If found guilty, the young mother could spend the rest of her life in jail. The 20-month-old victim is still in the hospital.

After an emergency call stating that a toddler wasn’t breathing, officers responded and arrived at the 2400 block of Farragut Avenue in Colorado Springs. When paramedics got there, the small child was unconscious; she was immediately transported to Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

Published on: February 24, 2012

No one is certain what really causes primary explosive blast traumatic brain injury

by Stephen Bilkis

No one is certain what really causes primary explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI), according to doctors. Clearly, the “cause” is the explosion and the mechanism by which it works is the interaction of explosive force upon the human body, but this does not medically explain everything that occurs.

There are primary and secondary injury mechanisms when it comes to trauma. Primary injury mechanisms can be attributed directly to the cause of the injury, like laceration from a cut. Secondary injuries are physiological responses, like bleeding or bruising. When it comes to bTBI, professionals have learned, there is probably more than one primary injury mechanism involved.

The blast produced by an explosive device travels through a medium like air or water in a wave of pressure. Basically, a great deal of energy is chemically produced. Mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic energy is transferred into the surrounding medium, and into anyone who happens to be in the blast radius.

Published on: January 14, 2012

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

by Stephen Bilkis

News studies 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, according to authorities. 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.

Published on: December 28, 2011

Most head injuries are caused by contact or acceleration/deceleration forces

by Stephen Bilkis

Most head injuries are caused by contact or acceleration/deceleration forces, or a combination of those factors, according to experts.

Contact injuries such as skull fractures, extradural hematomas, laceration/contusion-related subdural hematomas and contusions, come about when the head strikes or is struck by an object. These injuries are only sustained by direct impacts. Contusions, or bruises, are caused by damage to the blood vessels due to forces compressing an area of the brain by deforming the skull, or by the forces created when a bowed-in portion of the skull suddenly snaps back into place.

Injuries caused by acceleration and deceleration cause damage to the brain cells themselves, doctors have learned. Violent head motion can create forces that cause stresses in the brain which cannot be determined by the means that caused the head motion.

Published on: December 4, 2011

Diagnosing a concussion or mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be difficult

by Stephen Bilkis

Diagnosing a concussion or mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be difficult, even to experienced physicians, especially on the battlefield. Yet, that does not diminish the importance of diagnosing such a brain injury as soon as possible so the appropriate medical care can be given as soon as possible. If it isn’t, the warfighter may be return to duty at impaired status and the condition could even worsen over time.

In the war theater, the primary caregivers are often medics, who are not as extensively trained as physicians. They may not be able to recognize such subtle injuries as the ones caused by mild TBI. Often there are no cuts or bruises with these injuries. In fact, the patient may not even know he or she has sustained an injury. Others may hide evidence of an injury to remain with their unit.

It is important that medics and other medical providers in hospitals in Nassau and Suffolk need to watch out for bTBI (explosive blast traumatic injury) after any soldier has been in close proximity to an explosion, doctors have discovered. The patient may even need to be referred to another strata of care, like a neurologist, neurosurgeon, or emergency medical physician.

Published on: November 24, 2011

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now a well-defined clinical syndrome

by Stephen Bilkis

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now a well-defined clinical syndrome. The 2000 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision states that some patients who experience life-threatening events might well feel intense fear or helplessness which becomes PTSD.

Victims of PTSD suffer through a number of symptoms, which may include re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, a loss of concentration, sudden anger or irritation, hypervigilance, and a heightened response to being startled. All of these can cause a detrimental effect on the victim to enjoy life.

Mild explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has many of these symptoms in common with PTSD, including changes in sleep patterns and moods. There are some differences, however, have learned. Headaches, for instance, are much more likely with TBI, while hypervigilance and the tendency to startle more easily is more common with PTSD. Hospitals and doctors in Nassau and Staten Island are studying these cases.

Published on: November 3, 2011

Physicians currently do not have many distinctions between explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI), closed head traumatic brain injury (cTBI) and penetrative traumatic brain injury (pTBI)

by Stephen Bilkis

Physicians currently do not have many distinctions between explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI), closed head traumatic brain injury (cTBI) and penetrative traumatic brain injury (pTBI), according to New York Brain Injury Lawyers. The military also uses the same criteria to assess such injuries as civilians.

A 1993 definition from the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine of TBI apples to bTBI when an explosive blast causes loss of consciousness, amnesia, or loss of focus. The severity is determined by how long the altered mental state lasts. Less than 5 minutes is mild, though it can lead into difficulties like headaches, confusion, and amnesia, as well as a difficulty to concentrate, altered mood, problems sleeping, and general anxiety. These symptoms usually go within a few hours or days.

Lawyers have discovered that even these mild cases could result in post-concussive syndrome which could happen days later. Government agencies are currently developing guidelines to manage this condition, which seems to respond to simple reassurance and specific treatments like non-narcotic analgesics, anti-migraine medication to treat headaches, and anti-depressants. Just as with civilian cTBI, the problem might last only a few weeks, but it might well last a year or more in some cases.

Published on: October 20, 2011

Infant Brain Injury Caused by Birth Trauma

by Stephen Bilkis

A Washington D.C. infant abuse case involving bleeding on the brain took an unexpected turn when a neurosurgeon testified that bleeding was caused not by abuse, but by birth trauma, sources told NY Brain Injury Lawyers. The six-week-old (at the time) infant may or may not have been abused, but the brain injuries came from another source entirely.

Medical records dating from 2009 indicated to the neurosurgeon that the bleeding on the brain came from a portion far too deep to have been caused by abuse. His theory is that the injury was caused during a difficult delivery, which caused tearing of the fibers of the brain. This injury would be recurring, meaning it could have easily not caused trouble for weeks.

“It verified to me that this is a birth-related injury,” the neurosurgeon said to NY Brain Injury Lawyers.

Published on: October 6, 2011

Woman receives brain injury during jewelry heist, says New York Brain Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

According to a doctor, a woman sustained a very serious brain injury after a car driven by some jewelry thieves dragged her. The robbers were trying to steal her diamond bracelet. The defense lawyer made an argument that it was the woman who caused the outcome.

The Nassau doctor indicated that it was the thieves that went to the woman’s home to steal her diamond bracelet that she had put up for sale on a website. Apparently, the thieves had seen the advertisement and had gone to recover the item without paying.

The woman chased the thieves to the car and put up a fight to get her precious jewelry back. The source said that one of the teenage robbers became fearful and then drove off quickly without paying attention to the struggle that was taking place with the passenger and the woman.

Published on: September 26, 2011

The slow recovery of the injured indicated by

by Stephen Bilkis

A source and other U.S. Lawyers in Nassau and Suffolk attempt to understand the traumatic incident that occurred in Tucson, Arizona when a Congresswoman and others were shot by a lone gunman. Some were killed including a nine year old girl who was listening to the Congresswoman speak because of her interest in politics. She was there with her neighbor.

Apparently, the gunman did not like some of Congresswoman’s ideals and felt it was his duty to take her out. Lucky for Gabriel Giffords, one of her volunteer aide who happened to be a nurse was there at her side and held her wounds until the paramedics came.

The citizens of the United States including the injured are all mourning for those who were lost and are waiting to see the recovery process that Giffords would face. She sustained injury to her brain, which was serious enough to keep her in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Her condition began to improve as the country watched. Updates were given through the national media.