New York City

Published on: May 16, 2012

Explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) can be a complicated thing, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned.

by Stephen Bilkis

Explosive blast traumatic brain injury(bTBI) can be a complicated thing, sources have learned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined secondary, tertiary, and even quaternary effects that may contribute to a particular patient’s condition.

The primary injury comes from the forces created by the explosion itself. Secondary injury might occur due to matter thrown by the explosion, like fragments from the weapon itself, or debris in the immediate environment. Tertiary injury occurs when the victim is thrown by the blast to strike a wall or the ground. Finally, quaternary injuries may occur from factors not included in the first three, like burns or inhalation of toxic fumes.

Doctors have seen that the injuries can cause a number of symptoms. It might be as mild as a brief period of confusion – or it may lead to a coma. Severe bTBI commonly leads to diffuse cerebral edema and hyperemia, developing rapidly, within an hour after the initial blast injury. This type of injury seems to be much more common with blasts, as opposed to other forms of traumatic brain injury, and this type of injury has lead to military neurosurgeons performing more decompressive craniectomies more often than they would for penetrative traumatic brain injury (pTBI) or closed head traumatic brain injury (cTBI).

Published on: May 5, 2012

The treatment and prevention of head injury has advanced a great deal

by Stephen Bilkis

The treatment and prevention of head injury has advanced a great deal over the past twenty years, doctors have discovered. Many lives have been saved by these medical advances. That does not mean, however, that head injury is still not a concern all over the world. There are still many head injuries, and they can cause a large number of differing problems. Head injury patients have specific difficulties when it comes to rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

It is important, according to studies, that information regarding the frequency, causes, and outcomes of head injury be collected, so these challenges can be better met. The data can be used to find ways to prevent head injuries before they even occur, or to minimize brain injury when they do occur. Such studies focus on entire populations, rather than individuals, allowing one to see trends that might otherwise be missed.

The problem with head injury is that it is not so easy to obtain, according to Lawyers. Such injuries can occur anywhere at any time. Depending upon the location, care might be difficult to come by, which means information on the injury is difficult to collect. Most countries as well as places like New York City and Queens make it mandatory to report both deaths and the causes of death, but some places do not standardize such information. Often, the information is incomplete, resulting in a bias in the information recorded, which makes it largely useless for a wide-ranging study of the causes and effects of head injury.

Published on: April 25, 2012

Head injury data can come from a number of sources

by Stephen Bilkis

Head injury data can come from a number of sources, according to Lawyers, allowing for a comprehensive study of the causes and effects, so treatment might be more efficient and effective – or even so such injuries can be prevented entirely, in some cases.

National public health records in New York City and Westchester are largely mortality studies from death certificates. There may be some information available from hospital admissions, depending upon the country, doctors have found. In fact, in some locations, the authorities keep records of cause-related injuries, like industrial injuries.

Studies specifically related to head injury can also be a good source of data. These can be used to study such things as incidence and mortality rates across an entire nation. This can be difficult, however, when it comes to a large population. Whatever findings the studies reveal might underestimate the real rates.

Published on: April 13, 2012

Study Finds Several Cases of Brain Injury Induced by Vaccines

by Stephen Bilkis

Back in 1986, the U.S. Congress created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The original jurisdiction of this Program covered children’s claims of injury resulting from vaccines.

With the necessity of vaccinations and because most children receive several vaccinations for daycare and school, it is of utmost importance that the VICP provide its services and compensations in fairness, due process, and transparency.

A study was recently conducted in both Long Island and New York City to empirically investigate the Program. In the study, claims that the VICP compensated for vaccine-induced encephalopathy and seizuredisorder were examined. According to a report, the VICP has compensated roughly 2,500 claims of vaccine injury since its beginning. 83 cases of “acknowledged vaccine-induced brain damage” that include autism, a severe disorder that affects speech, social communication, and behavior. 21 of these cases brought before the Court of Federal Claims, which administers the VICP, the Court ruled that the petitioners had autism, or described autism. In the 62 remaining cases, the study found settlement agreements where Health and Human Services (HHS) compensated children with vaccine-induced brain damage, who also have autism or an autism spectrum disorder.

Published on: March 11, 2012

Minnesota Man Charged for Injuring Baby

by Stephen Bilkis

A 25-year-old man from Coon Rapids, Minnesota has been charged with assault and malicious punishment of a child. Prosecutors allege he shook his own five-month-old daughter, causing bleeding on her brain injury.

The baby was taken to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment, sources told police. As for the suspect, he is in county jail, with his bail set at $100,000.

Police in Coon Rapids were called to Mercy Hospital to follow up on a report of a possible “shaken baby”. Medical staff had noted the baby had significant bleeding in her brain and was in cardiac arrest, but had been stabilized, thanks to hospital efforts.

Published on: February 16, 2012

New Bill Offers Hope

by Stephen Bilkis

The Wounded Warrior Project is looking forward to the introduction and passage of a new bill that would help warriors suffering severe traumatic brain injury live better lives after their sacrifices in Iraq and Afghanistan, describes a doctor.

The bill, called The Veterans’ Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services’ Improvement Act of 2011, would make it mandatory for the VA to give veterans with severe traumatic brain injury ongoing long-term care with the hope of future rehabilitation. This would include support services that emphasize personal independence and a better quality of life for the patient.

“This important bipartisan, bi-cameral legislation would close critical gaps in VA rehabilitation programs for warriors who have suffered severe traumatic brain injury,” the executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project told reporters. “These complex injuries often require long-term rehabilitative care. The legislation would help ensure that needed rehabilitation is not prematurely cut off, and that these veterans can get the supports they need – whether those are health-services or non-medical assistance – to achieve maximum independence and quality of life.”

Published on: January 24, 2012

Head injury patterns differ between children and adults

by Stephen Bilkis

Head injurypatterns differ between children and adults, New York Brain Studies have learned. In the case of children, falls are the most common cause of injury. Most of those that required admission to the hospital were minor. In the case of serious injuries, most of them were pedestrian injuries from motor vehicles. Falls were only second here, followed closely by pedal cycling injuries and being an occupant of a motor vehicle. The most common component of severe injuries was injuries to the head. Falls were more likely to cause injuries both at ages 0-1 and again in adolescence. This was confirmed by hospitals in New York City and Westchester.

Head injury is the major cause of increase in severity, when it comes to children. Such cases often included abdominal injury and pedestrian accidents were the most frequent cause of injury, according to accounts. Severe head injuries for children in general are linked to vehicle accidents. Many of these accidents occur when the children are playing and not in a vehicle, and very close to the child’s home, often in the afternoon between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Such accidents were also more likely in less affluent neighborhoods.

Once more seatbelts play a high role in making a difference to the frequency of severe injury when the child is a passenger in a vehicle, studies have affirmed. Those children without seatbelts showed more injuries and more severe injuries, with longer stays in the hospital. They were also more likely to suffer long-term impairment.

Published on: January 12, 2012

Diagnosing a concussion or mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be difficult, even to experienced physicians, especially on the battlefield, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have been told

by Stephen Bilkis

Diagnosing a concussion or mild TBI (traumatic brain injury) can be difficult, even to experienced physicians, especially on the battlefield, researchers have been told. Yet, that does not diminish the importance of diagnosing such an 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 brain injury. Others may hide evidence of an injury to remain with their unit.

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

Published on: December 14, 2011

Physicians currently do not have many distinctions between explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI)

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 medical studies. 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 caused by a brain contusion. 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.

Experts in New York City and Long Island 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: December 8, 2011

Man with brain injury defended

by Stephen Bilkis

Studies indicated that a man who received a brain injury when he was caught by police while he broke into the home of a business man did not get the jail sentence that many thought that he deserved for another offence that he committed. This decision was made due to his brain injury and because he was not fit to enter a plea.

According to the police, the defendant was hit with a bat by the business man during the incident that took place. The brain injury that he sustained caused him to escape from being imprisoned. The defendant was facing other charges, but the jury decided that he could not be found guilty.

A court spokesperson said, “He received a reduced penalty of being supervised for twelve months in a probation program.” The business man was put in jail for injuring the defendant according to authorities, but he was later released after his appeal. He had chased the defendant down the street and inflicted a skull fracture on him. According to the judge, no one was in any danger after the defendant had left the business man’s home; therefore, the business man should be made liable for his actions.