Brain Injury Lawyer Blog 24/7

Published on: July 16, 2012

Blast TBI (traumatic brain injury) happens to many combatants, according to New York Brain Injury Lawyers

by Stephen Bilkis

Blast TBI (traumatic brain injury) happens to many combatants, according to doctors. 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 experts. 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 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: July 14, 2012

Reducing the Occurrence of Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military

by Stephen Bilkis

Researchers recently found that soldiers who wear military helmets one size larger and with thicker pads, have reduced the severity of blunt and ballistic impact traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The one-year study funded by the U.S. Army and the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) was aimed at comparing the effectiveness of various military and football helmet pads.

The particular research facility used was chosen via a review committee. The committee concluded that the LLNL research lab had the best set of skills, and their previous experience working on blast-induced TBI would prove valuable.

Published on: July 11, 2012

There are a number of ways road design can prevent crashes

by Stephen Bilkis

Since so many head injuries are caused by traffic accidents, road engineering is an important aspect of prevention, as is speed control to avoid crashes. This aspect involves not only driver education and law enforcement, but for the road system to be designed as safely as possible, sources have determined.

There are a number of ways road design can prevent crashes. Well-utilized banking and services that are kept in high conditions can contribute a great deal to safety, making it less likely for drivers to lose control of their vehicles. Visibility should always be good and warning signs should be placed in order to prevent intersection crashes. Rural areas should have unidirectional traffic flow, to prevent head-on collisions. Urban areas like Manhattan and Queens can help prevent traffic accidents by placing median strips between streams of traffic so pedestrians can cross the street more safely.

No matter where the road its, or what kind of road it is, control of access is a quality to keep in mind, doctors have learned. Pedestrians and pedal cyclists should have their own paths. Traffic lights make pedestrian crossing both easier and safer. Lights can also control speed and traffic flow. There have been some attempts to control speed in urban areas with physical obstacles, but this has proven to be effective but unpopular.

Published on: July 9, 2012

Deaths from ‘injury and poisoning’ are fourth in age-standardized rates

by Stephen Bilkis

Deaths from ‘injury and poisoning’ are fourth in age-standardized rates for males and females in most Western countries, according to studies, coming after circulatory, neoplastic, and respiratory diseases.

For young people in many nations, traffic-related incidents are the most likely cause of death. Though the numbers have been decreasing over the decades, percentage-wise, it is still something many physicians and other health specialists have to deal with regularly. Many of the instantaneous deaths from these accidents were due to chest and multiple injuries, but those that managed to reach the hospital and died subsequently mostly died due to injuries to the head.

Head injuries are always a high proportion of fatal injuries, doctors in The Bronx have learned. These injuries are often motor-vehicle related and among these, in many places, head injuriesare the leading cause of death.

Published on: July 7, 2012

Closed head injury is almost always the consequence of an impact to the head

by Stephen Bilkis

Closed head injury is almost always the consequence of an impact to the head, hospitals in The Bronx and Brooklyn have noted. There are experiments and references, however, that relate to brain injuryin non-impact situations, such as when the body is accelerated in such a manner as to cause injury. For now, the basic distinction to be focused upon is the difference between an impact to the head and an impulse transmitted to the head from the neck.

An impact or an impulse can accelerate or decelerate the head to the point of injury, but the effects of an impact are usually very clear. A deformation of the skull or a fracture can occur, with the attendant injury to the brain. Doctors have seen that brain injuries are almost always the result of an impact to the head or to a helmet protecting the head, rather than an impulse transmitted through the neck.

Some research has indicated to experts that brain injuries may different depending upon whether the head is stationary and struck by a moving object, or is moving and strikes a stationary object. This matter is important for legal concerns when it must be determined if an injury was caused by a blow to the head or by striking the head in the resulting fall. Physicians have noted, however, that when the head is moving, it generally strikes and object much more massive than itself, whereas a moving object that strikes that head is generally of a similar or lesser mass to the head itself, such as a club, a brick, or a baseball.

Published on: July 4, 2012

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 doctors on Long Island. 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, studies in Manhattan 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: July 2, 2012

Brain injury can be very tricky to find and properly assess and treat

by Stephen Bilkis

Brain injury can be very tricky to find and properly assess and treat, doctors have learned. Very often, the location of the actual injury is not at the point of impact. When an impact does not have the force to breach the skull, but is significant enough to cause injury, the force can be transferred to thinner bones found in other places, such as the base of the skull.

Physicians in New York and Westchester County sometimes use the term ‘countrecoup’ to describe head injuries that result from an impact on the other side of the head. Contrecoup injuries are caused by rapid and localized pressure changes on the surface of the brain due to force transmitted by a sudden impact. These injuries can also be caused by the brain actually moving inside the skull and sustaining injury from striking the bony surfaces.

The location of the head injury is also important, studies have learned. As far back as 200 years ago, physicians have been noting that injuries to the frontal portion of the brain tend to be less severe than injuries taken to other parts of the brain. Research has shown this to be the case time and again, both from experiments and from collecting medical data. There are, however, studies that suggest that the nature of head injuries may be far more complex than that, depending upon the location of the injury. The very complexity of the brain itself makes it difficult for physicians and other medical experts to establish a clear pattern when it comes to head injuries.

Published on: June 29, 2012

A number of subspecialists are required to help the patient

by Stephen Bilkis

Injuries caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) can be complicated, doctors 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 brain injuriescaused by it.

A number of subspecialists in Queens and Staten Island 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, studies have discovered.

The force of a flying object and where it penetrates are of utmost importance, doctors have told 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: June 26, 2012

There are primary and secondary injury mechanisms when it comes to trauma

by Stephen Bilkis

No one is certain what really causes primary explosive blast traumatic brain injury (bTBI), according to doctors. 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, doctors have learned, there is probably more than one primary injury mechanism involved. Hospitals in the Bronx and Brooklyn are studying this.

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: June 22, 2012

Stepfather Convicted of Causing Grievous Bodily Harm to Toddler

by Stephen Bilkis

After seven hours of deliberation, a District Court jury delivered a majority, or 11 jurors to one, verdict in the case of a 22-year-old stepdad. The man was found guilty on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The stepfather had always denied the charge that he caused a head injury that left a 2-year-old child with little more than 50% of his brain function. He stood passively in the dock as he was remanded to custody for a July sentencing. As he was escorted from the court, a supporter mouthed “I’m sorry.”

The Judge thanked the jury and told them, based on the evidence, their decision was the only one open to them.