Traumatic Brain Damage

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 13, 2011

Doctors have learned of a new classification for traumatic brain injury (TBI), known as explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI).

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Brain Injury Lawyers have learned of a new classification for traumatic brain injury (TBI), known as explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI). Previously, physicians divided TBI into two categories, penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) and closed head traumatic brain injury (cTBI). Blast TBI is similar, but has some aspects that are all its own.

Penetrative TBI involves the penetration of a foreign object through the bones of the skull and into the brain parenchyma. This physically disrupts neurons, glia, and fiber tracts, which is made worse by ischemia and hemorrhage. Victims of this type of injury in Hospitals in The Bronx and Brooklyn show signs of impaired consciousness and neurological difficulties associated with the parenchyma injured by the intrusion of the foreign object. An object penetrating at high velocity, like a bullet, will cause a great deal more damage, due to cavitation of brain tissue. There will be a breach in the skull where the object entered, and possibly another at the point of exit. pTBI is often easy to spot.

Closed head traumatic brain injury, New York City Brain Injury Lawyers have learned, is sometimes more difficult to spot. The brain moving inside the skull and deformation of the brain can cause injury to the brain parenchyma, blood vessels, and fiber tracts.

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: 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 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: September 24, 2011

A child was brought to a hospital by someone close to him

by Stephen Bilkis

A man from Pensacola, Florida, is accused of pushing his 4-month-old son. The violence caused the child to suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Bond for the man was set at $150,000.

The 20-year-old father, of the 200 block of Marigold Drive, was charged with three separate counts of aggravated child abuse when he was arrested last week and placed in the Escambia County Jail where he still remains.

The child was brought to a hospital by someone close to him, but the exact details of that are not available at the present time. According to an NY Brain Injury Lawyer, the Sacred Heart Hospital contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office when it was suspected that the child’s injuries were non-accidental.

Published on: September 21, 2011

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

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Brain Injury Lawyers 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 New York Brain Injury Lawyers. 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 in places like New York City and Long Island where many veterans live.

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: September 14, 2011

Florida Father Charged with Child Abuse after Pushing Infant Son

by Stephen Bilkis

A man from Pensacola, Florida, is accused of pushing his 4-month-old son. The violence caused the child to suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Bond for the man was set at $150,000.

The 20-year-old father, of the 200 block of Marigold Drive, was charged with three separate counts of aggravated child abuse when he was arrested last week and placed in the Escambia County Jail where he still remains.

The child was brought to a hospital by someone close to him, but the exact details of that are not available at the present time. According to an NYC Brain Injury Lawyer, the Sacred Heart Hospital contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office when it was suspected that the child’s injuries were non-accidental.

Published on: September 3, 2011

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”, 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. In Manhattan and Queens, doctors are studying these results in order to better deal with the injuries.

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, New York City Brain Injury Lawyers have discovered.