Suffolk County

Published on: October 5, 2011

Severe facial trauma can prevent reliable neurological examination

by Stephen Bilkis

Sometimes the extent of moderate or severe damage caused by bTBI (explosive blast traumatic brain injury) is difficult to determine at first, doctors have told New York Brain Injury Lawyers. Severe facial trauma can prevent reliable neurological examination, especially when it comes to examining the pupils for reaction. Specialized tools are often necessary to even make triage decisions that could save lives. Hospitals in Suffolk and Westchester Counties are aware of this.

The chaos of war only compounds the difficulty in making decisions when it comes to severe injury. When a doctor or other medical professional is used to medical centers in the United States, where there are adequate resources and help in the form of other professionals near at hand, it can be very difficult to work on a battlefield where everything is in short supply, but the number of patients is much greater.

Difficult decisions have to be made in such environments, New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned. It isn’t uncommon for a great number of severely injured patients to arrive at the same time. Efficient triage is essential for the best use of limited resources. There may be few health care providers, no operating rooms or CT scanners, and not many blood products to go around. It may even be impossible to evacuate patients to a better facility. The whole idea behind triage is take resources that may not be adequate and stretch them out to their best possible use to help the largest number of patients. They must be stabilized and their lives preserved until they can be evacuated into a better circumstance.

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.

Published on: August 10, 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 New York Brain Injury Lawyers. 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, New York Brain Injury Lawyers 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. Nassau and Suffolk Counties have facilities which deal with these problems.

Published on: August 3, 2011

Injured Man from Birmingham, England, Receives Major Settlement

by Stephen Bilkis

A man from Birmingham, England, has been awarded 3.6 million in British pounds, equivalent to around $5.8 million in U.S. currency, sources tell New York Brain Injury Lawyers, after a car accident in which he suffered brain damage.

The 39-year-old man hit his head on the steering wheel of his car after another vehicle ran into the back of his own in 2008. He suffered serious brain damage as a result.

According to the victim’s attorney, the large amount of money awarded to the victim was necessary for him to live at least some semblance of a normal life after such a debilitating accident.

Published on: June 14, 2011

Injuries caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) can be complicated

by Stephen Bilkis

Injuries caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) can be complicated, New York 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. These studies have helped doctors and hospitals in Westchester County and Suffolk County.

A number of subspecialists are required to help the patient, under the direction of a brain 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, NY Brain Injury Lawyers have discovered.

The force of a flying object and where it penetrates are of utmost importance. 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: June 12, 2011

New York School District Implements Improved Athletic Protocol for Head Injuries

by Stephen Bilkis

A school district in East Syracuse issues new protocol to deal with head injuries in its athletes. The new approach dictated by the East Syracuse Minoa district measures head injuries at every level. The plan is set to be expanded beyond the athletic department.

ES-M has worked for months to create an objective guideline to be used on every student who wears a Spartan uniform. Heedless of sport or level, all participants are to be treated the same when head injuries are suspected.

Brain injuries like concussions are very different from other types of injuries, and this school district’s plan is aimed at eliminating the gray area of treating an injury to the brain, a Manhattan -based Brain Injury Attorney says.