Queens

Published on: February 13, 2012

Derek Boogaard Found Dead at 28

by Stephen Bilkis

Derek Boogaard, a 28-year-old NHL player, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment by his two brothers, unconscious, but not breathing. It was too late to get him to a hospital and he died there, sources told reporters.

Investigators were unable to find any signs of foul play, they did find any sign Boogaard was injured, either. Those who follow sports were able to make an important link, however – the NHL player had not played for five months since he sustained a concussion in a fight. Boogaard’s parents had allowed their son’s brain to be donated to medical experts who study brain trauma in athletes at Boston University, allowing more pieces of the puzzles to be filled in.

It is still too early to tell what the official cause of Boogaard’s death might be – it will be some time before a full autopsy can be completed. Everyone suspects brain trauma was a major factor, however, if not the only real factor.

Published on: February 8, 2012

Gifford’s Recovery from Attack that Left Her Brain Damaged

by Stephen Bilkis

The human brain has an amazing capacity to heal itself. Every year, about 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the U.S. Like so many other victims of TBI, U.S. Representative Giffords is reportedly making remarkable progress.

Last January, an attacker shot Representative Gabby Giffords at point blank range. The bullet shot through her brain, wreaking havoc.

Just last week, she was seen walking up the stairs of an airplane. It took quite a bit of effort an she had assistants available to help her if she needed it. The Representative’s ordeal is the perfect showcase for brain plasticity – the brain’s amazing capability to restore some functions after major brain injury. Proper rehabilitation helps this process of the brain’s.

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 11, 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, according to experts. 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, doctors 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.

Published on: November 4, 2011

$10 million injury case

by Stephen Bilkis

The courts approved a ten million dollar settlement to a Kings County Brooklyn man who sustained brain injury when he was slammed against a concrete wall by a Deputy Sheriff. It happened after a chase ensued and the man outran the Deputy for quite some time.

A source took a quick look at the details of the case commented that the accused ran from the Deputy, who chased him thinking that he was someone else who had some kind of altercation in a fight that took place in May 2009.

After running a few blocks from the Deputy, the Queens man stopped and turned around to see how far the Deputy was from him. This was when the Deputy took the man’s head and slammed him into the concrete wall of a movie theater. It so happened that the tackle between the man and the Deputy was caught on tape.

Published on: October 24, 2011

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 New York Brain Injury Lawyers. 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, 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: October 17, 2011

The way surgeons deal with shrapnel or bone fragments in the brain has changed

by Stephen Bilkis

The way surgeons deal with shrapnel or bone fragments in the brain has changed since the days of Korea or Vietnam, doctors tell investigators. It was once the standard to remove every last fragment of bone or any other foreign body, so the brain would have a lower risk of infection and there would be less chance of developing post-traumatic epilepsy. Studies of Vietnam War patients has shown that removal of all fragments is not actually necessary, though objects that cause gross contamination should still be removed.

Closure of the scalp and replacement of the dura are absolutely vital to prevent, or at least reduce the chance of, CSF leakage and meningitis. A soldier who seems to have good neurological status, with only small fragments in the brain may be able to be treated locally to prevent leakage. One with a more extensive injury will have to undergo a large decompressive creniectomy and removal of the fragments, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned.

Another source of head injury from an explosive blast can result from being bodily thrown by the explosion. The soldier’s head could strike some other object, causing tertiary blast injury or concussion. This can cause injuries in a number of places in the patient’s skull as hospitals in New York City and Queens have learned. There is also the risk of infection in cases such as these, often from bacteria that are drug-resistant. A number of dangerous injuries can result from such trauma, New York Brain Injury Lawyers know. It can be very important to repair such injuries as facial fractures quickly

Published on: October 2, 2011

A helmet can be excellent protection against penetrating objects

by Stephen Bilkis

Injuries caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) can be complicated, NY Brain Injury Lawyers have learned. Such a blast can cause a number of injuries that have their own problems, like traumatically amputated limbs, multiple penetrating wounds, and heavy bleeding. It takes a great deal of skill and knowledge to treat injuries from an explosive blast, because there are so many different injuries caused by it.

A number of subspecialists are required to help the patient, under the direction of a trauma surgeon. Soft-tissue loss is common, in addition to severe burns to the face and scalp. When it comes to the military, a helmet can be excellent protection against penetrating objects, so if the blast does cause penetrating object injuries, it is often through the face, orbit of the eye, or base of the skull, all areas not covered by the helmet. Even when the helmet does prevent an object from penetrating the skull there can still be associated cTBI (closed head traumatic blast injury) that may cause anything from mild concussions to severe contusions and skull fractures, where the helmet is dented from the blow, doctors in Manhattan and Queens have discovered.

The force of a flying object and where it penetrates are of utmost importance, doctors have told New York Brain Injury Lawyers. Something traveling at a low speed might penetrate the skull, but actually cause little damage, while something traveling a greater speed could very well cause a secondary cavity in a vital area.

Published on: September 17, 2011

The combat medic works hard to prevent further harm from coming to the victim.

by Stephen Bilkis

Care for victims of traumatic brain injury (TBI) starts on the battlefield, according to “Guidelines for Field Management of Combat-Related Head Trauma”, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned. The combat medic works hard to prevent further harm from coming to the victim. The basics, such as the ABCs of airway, breathing, and circulation are tended to before work on the actual injury begins.

Once the patient is stabilized, the severity of the injury is determined, which helps form the basis of triage decisions. Someone who is less injured can be evacuated to a better facility than a field hospital. Some of these need to be moved by helicopter or some other expeditious manner. A blast from something like an improvised explosive device (IED) often results in multiple injuries, which need to be managed all at once. Doctors in Queens and Staten Island are aware of these problems when they treat veterans of combat.

The combat support hospital is the place for a more detailed assessment of injuries. When it comes to blast trauma, neuroimaging with CT scans should be done as soon as possible. It is important to identify things like intracranial hemorrhage, skull fractures, or cerebral edemas before they develop into something worse. Often it is necessary to perform emergency neurosurgery, NY Brain Injury Lawyers have discovered.

Published on: August 13, 2011

Cases of Infant Head Trauma has Doubled during Recession

by Stephen Bilkis

Child abuse in the form of head trauma (formerly called ‘shaken-baby-syndrome”) has been seen to increase alarmingly during times of great economic strain – during a recession.

Approximately twice the numbers of babies, children under two, have been hospitalized for non-accidental head trauma, and recession-related stress is being blamed.

One of the authors of the study that uncovered this trend says, “The reasons for why this is happening are beyond the scope of our study, but it may be that more parents are stressed to the breaking point because of economic problems like unemployment and foreclosures.”