Staten Island

Published on: June 11, 2012

About the injuries in the army, details a New York Brain Injury Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

A doctor unfolds the report given by many National Guard and Reserved soldiers who were injured in war and felt snubbed by the Army compared to enlisted soldiers. According to the soldiers, they felt as if they were being asked to keep their mouths shuts with the treatment that they receive after returning from war with their brain injuries.

“Many of these National Guard and Reserved soldiers don’t feel as if they are getting fair treatment by the U.S. Army and want their voices to be heard. These soldiers go through a lot of trauma in war and still have to come back home to face the truth that the injuries sustained in war is their responsibility” explained one soldier to a Lawyer.

The soldier’s stories of post traumatic disorder and brain injury reached the ears of the Oregon Congressional delegation that stepped in and demanded that a full investigation be done. The source also feels that someone needed to get to the bottom of this. These soldiers provided a life threatening service to their country and the least that the U.S. Army can do is to provide medical care for these soldiers whether they are enlisted or not.

Published on: June 6, 2012

Blast TBI (traumatic brain injury) happens to many combatants

by Stephen Bilkis

Blast TBI (traumatic brain injury) happens to many combatants. It can rightfully be considered a new class of TBI. While it might share a lot of features with standard TBI, it has some unique aspects that are all its own.

The milder forms of TBI can be very similar to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), but it also has distinct aspects of its own. The military currently uses civilian standards of care for TBI when it comes to bTBI (explosive blast TBI), but they are constantly revising their standards to better provide for those injured on the field, according to doctors. The theater of war requires different standards of medical practice.

It is apparent that there need to be more studies done on the precise effects of bTBI, both scientifically and clinically. The research will have to be focused upon how explosive blasts can lead to TBI. It is also important to learn how prevalent this disease is, and the exact causes. Once the research in Staten Island and Westchester reaches a certain level, it will become much easier to diagnose and treat bTBI. A clinical definition of bTBI should quickly create the means to treat bTBI.

Published on: May 26, 2012

Coalition Developed to Explore TBI Treatment on the Scene of Accidents

by Stephen Bilkis

Approximately 1.4 million Americans will suffer a brain injurythis year. An unprecedented collaboration of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) first responders, state health officials and university researchers will hopefully help save Arizona residents who are among that number who could suffer brain injury in the coming year.

Groundbreaking studies and life-saving developments are melding into a series of pre-hospital treatments for traumatic brain injury (TBI). These treatments, as studies suggest, are to be administered immediately at the scene of the accident.

Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona fire departments, ambulance companies, Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center and the University of Medicine, announced their collaboration during an extraction demonstration by Glendale Fire Department.

Published on: May 20, 2012

The symptoms of bTBI (explosive blast traumatic brain injury) can actually be very subtle, doctors tell New York Brain Injury Lawyers

by Stephen Bilkis

The symptoms of bTBI (explosive blast traumatic brain injury) can actually be very subtle, doctors tell sources. Sometimes, there is no outward sign of injury until certain symptoms begin to arise, like headaches, vertigo, or short-term memory loss. Because of this, victims of bTBI should be evaluated by a physician or psychologist to determine how extensive their injuries might be, if any. Neurophysical evaluation should be a part of this examination. There are currently efforts to create neuropsychological tests that can be automated on laptop computer or are easy enough to be used to by first responders who may have less training.

Patient who may have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) should see a combat stress team provider or a psychiatrist as soon as possible. It is very important to remember, doctors have learned, that bTBI and PTSD can have very similar symptoms and may occur alone or together in a patient. It may be difficult to tell them apart.

When TBI may be present in a patient, that person should be excused from all combat-related duties. The patient should be put on light duty until the symptoms are gone or until he or she is moved to a place where advanced neuroimaging, like MRI, may be used, and a more detailed evaluation can be used. Lawyers in Staten Island and Westchester have determined that it is vital for a patient suffering TBI, or who may be suffering from it, to be treated with the utmost care, so the condition does not become worse.

Published on: April 7, 2012

Giants Fan Suffers TBI after Being Attacked at Game

by Stephen Bilkis

A Giants fan is still recovering from an injury incurred over one month ago. His family worries that he won’t be able to fully recover. His injuries included traumatic brain injuries from being attacked at a Dodgers game.

The Northern California paramedic was severely beaten at a Dodgers game in April of 2011. Just one month later, his family wonders if he’ll return to normal.

The victim’s mother says that their family is trying to remain optimistic. “Today was very odd,” she says. “I was looking at his eyes to see if there was any movement, any dreaming, and there’s just nothing there. He’s basically gone,” she cries.

Published on: April 4, 2012

Things become much more complex in a non-free field or enclosed area, such as a building, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned.

by Stephen Bilkis

The type of explosion studied theoretically in the determination of the causes of explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) assumed an open field explosion. Things become much more complex in a non-free field or enclosed area, such as a building, experts have learned.

In an enclosed space, the shockwaves can reflect from walls, ceilings, and other objects, creating a “complex wave field.” An explosive blast under such conditions creates an individual scenario that cannot accurately be predicted or replicated.

Lawyers have noted there has been the assumption that pressure, and not the shockwave, may cause bTBI, but such studies may not be valid. These studies suggest the pressure of the blast leads to failure of air-filled organs, such as the lungs and the bowels. Therefore, if this is true, lungs should be injured more often in explosions. Clinical experience shows this is not the case. The bowel is generally uninjured unless there is penetration from shrapnel. Brain injury was not studied and some believe interceptor body armor may protect those organs from the blast. There may even be other physical forces that play a role in explosive blast injury. Hospitals and doctors in Queens and Staten Island are aware of circumstances like this and are trying to find medical answers.

Published on: March 21, 2012

A Devastating Injury Spawns New Role for TV Anchor and Wife

by Stephen Bilkis

When Lee Woodruff found out that her husband, ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff, was severely injured while embedded with the military in Iraq, a roller coaster 5-year-long recovery began it’s sometimes ugly ascent.

The newsman suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) when an explosive device detonated near a tank he was in.

According to a medic following the case, “When the bomb exploded, hundreds of pieces of rock and shrapnel embedded into Bob’s face, neck, and back.” Subsequently, his skull was shattered.

Published on: March 8, 2012

Explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI) can be a complicated thing

by Stephen Bilkis

Explosive blast traumatic brain injury(bTBI) can be a complicated thing, doctors 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 like skull fractures occur 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: March 5, 2012

Care for victims of traumatic brain injury (TBI) starts on the battlefield

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”, many concerned doctors 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.

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, field doctors have discovered.

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.