Traumatic Brain Injury: April 2007 Archives

Study Analyzes Craniectomy Outcomes in Kids With TBI

Traumatic Brain Injury is one of the leading causes of death in children. Approximately 475,000 children between the ages of 0-14 suffer a traumatic brain injury each year. While pediatric brain injury preventative methods have drastically improved over the last 30 years, medical options in the treatment of traumatic brain injury have not seen similar improvements. Many TBI patients end up developing intracranial pressure as a consequence of brain swelling, blood clots, subdural hematomas, or other intracerebral hemorrhages. Some experts have said that removing bone from the skull soon after the injury can lessen the effects of swelling and lead to less damage.

In-Depth Study Analyzes Craniectomy Outcomes In Children With Traumatic Brain Injury

Several studies have looked at the results of performing decompressive craniectomy in children after injury. However, thus far, the studies have been limited by small sample size, a short follow-up, as well as a lack of a objective scale with which to judge results. The most recent study, Outcomes following Decompressive Craniectomy in Severe Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Single Center Experience with Long-Term Follow-up, at decompressive craniectomy looked at the results of decompressive craniectomy over the last 10 years in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury. Dr. Jay Jagannathan, who presented the study, said of the results: "The overall outcomes indicate a net 65 percent favorable outcome in pediatric patients following craniectomy (good recovery or moderate disability), with 9 percent of the patients having severe disability on long-term follow-up. While pediatric craniectomy has often been viewed as a last resort in the pediatric population, it can be an effective method of controlling ICP and providing reasonable quality of life postoperatively."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brain Damaged Man Wins $4.3 Million

Emil Godshall, 87, has won more than $4.3 million in damages. 13 years ago, Godshall worked as a maintenance worker when he slipped on his and hurt his head. A coworker took Godshall to the hospital where he was examined and discharged by Dr. Marie Bush. However, within several hours, Godshall was rushed back to the hospital for surgery for cranial bleeding. Consequently, Godshall suffered permanent brain damage that has caused him to need constant medical assistance and care.

Jury Awards $4.3 Million to Brain-Damaged Man

The lawsuit said that Bush was negligent for not having ordered a CAT scan for Godshall before allowing him to leave emergency care. The jury in the case reached the $4.375 million verdict after a seven day trial.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Infrascanner Promising in Diagnosis of Brain Injury

A bedside device to screen and diagnose brain injury currently is being tested in India. The device, called the Infrascanner, is a hand-held, non-invasive, near-infrared based device made by Dell. It is able to detect whether brain hematoma has occurred during the period of time in which pre-hospital analysis is vital to decide the neurological damage a victim of a brain injury has suffered.

Quick, Cheap, and Easy Bedside Diagnosis of Brain Injury

If the Infrascanner is approved, it offers a practical and affordable solution to detecting intracranial hematomas by exploiting the unique light-absorbing properties of hemoglobin and the non-invasive, non-ionizing nature of NIR technology. If more vascular blood is present because of internal bleeding, there is a greater localized concentration of hemoglobin, and the absorbance of light is greater while the reflected amount is less.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Alcohol or Aspirin Consumption Doesn't Lead to Hemorrhage in TBI Patients

A recent study out of Elmhurst Hospital Center showed that drinking alcohol or taking aspirin does not increase the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dr. Arien J. Smith, presented the study at the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Washington, D.C., says that increasing age rather than consumption of alcohol or aspirin was correlated to hemorrhaging. Researchers looked at 150 patients who were admitted to the hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

Alcohol or aspirin consumption doesn't increase haemorrhaging in TBI Patients

High blood alcohol levels were found in 56.2 percent of the patients and 8.2 percent of the patients looked at were taking aspirin. "Interestingly, we found that neither alcohol nor aspirin were significantly associated with worsening ICH. However increasing age was significantly correlated with worsening haemorrhage," said Dr. Smith.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Middle School Student Hospitalized After Festival Injury

Eighth grader Dakota Abernathy suffered a serious head injury at the Jellyfish Festival at Choctawhatchee High School in Florida over the weekend. Abernathy was playing on a three-lane bungee run game provided by Emerald Coast Entertainment. After leaving the ride, he began to complain of dizziness, sat down, and began convulsing. Lisa Lynn-Clawson, a parent involved in the festival, said that, "as of Monday night, there had been no change in his condition, although he was responsive. The swelling has stopped, but he was still on a ventilator. The doctors said it was a contracoup injury, like shaken baby syndrome."

Middle School Student Hospitalized After Suffering Serious Injury at Festival

Abernathy played the trumpet in a jazz performance associated with the festival on Friday night. He is a member of the school's symphonic band. A group of ten of Abernathy's friends from band have made bracelets to help the Abernathy family pay medical bills. Kelsey Bard, the leader of the group, says that "my parents were talking about how expensive it would be, and I was trying to think of a way to raise money to help. I wanted to do something to unite the school and help people realize what was going on, and also help make us all feel better about doing something to help."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New Study Shows How Injured Brain Compensates

A recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon have potential to affect future studies of the sensory deprivation that is caused by stroke or traumatic brain injury. For over decade, researchers have been aware that the brain can adapt in response to injury that affects bodily motion. However, this most recent study is the first that shows an enhancement of brain activity in a mouse with sensory loss. Loss of sight, hearing, taste, smell, or touch are common side effects of both traumatic brain injuries and strokes.

Carnegie Mellon University research shows how sensory-deprived brain compensates

Alison Barth, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon, says that "Our findings are the first to show this degree of brain adaptability in a setting with significantly limited sensory input. This finding tells us that brain function is plastic, or reparable, when a sense like touch has been profoundly diminished. Plasticity is an important indicator that the brain is reorganizing to compensate for an injury or deficit." In an especially surprising experiment, Barth found that a single-whiskered mouse is more likely to generate new brain activity than a mouse who has a whisker on one side of its head and full whiskers on the other side. "These findings show us that a fully functioning set of whiskers on one side of the body dramatically inhibits the ability of a single whisker to remodel the brain," said Barth. "This finding suggests that we could boost the brain's plasticity if we 'turn off' sensory input from the opposite side of the body."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Judge Grants Request to Keep Baby on Life Support

Austin judge Guy Herman has given a family permission to keep their critically brain-damaged son on life-support. Emilio Gonzales was to have been removed from life-support equipment this week and set a hearing to for further evidence to be presented in the case. Catarina Gonzales, Emilio's mother, said of the decision: "I'm really grateful that we got one week more. I believe that there's a hospital that is going to accept my son and I know there is."

Judge Grants Request to Keep Infant on Life-Support

Children's Hospital of Austin, which has cared for Emilio since December, says that keeping Emilio alive is pointless and causing Emilio pain without medical benefit. The hospital evoked a Texas law stating that hospitals can end life-sustaining treatment in such cases with 10 days notice to the family. Emilio is believed to suffer from Leigh's disease and doctors say that his higher order brain functions are destroyed and he is non-responsive. Emilio's mother disagrees: "I just love my son. I just love him, and I'll do anything for him," she said. "I'm with him 24-7 and he has responded by turning his head and looking at me and opening his eyes."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

18 Percent of Deployed Ft. Carson Troops Have Brain Injury

A 22-month long study of Fort Carson soldiers returning from Iraq found that nearly 18 percent of the soldiers had suffered from at least a mild traumatic brain injury. Of the nearly 13,440 soldiers studied, 2,392 showed some signs of brain injury. Symptoms of traumatic brain injury can include headaches, memory loss, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and balance problems.

18% Of Deployed Ft. Carson Troops Had Brain Injury

Colonel John Cho, who commands the Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, said, "as it turns out, TBI may very well be the signature injury of this war." Traumatic brain injuries are troubling because they are difficult to diagnose and symptoms often do not show up until long after a soldier has returned home. "Symptoms can present themselves at different points in time. And you might ask why. I can only surmise that when a soldier returns to the United States and is subjected to the activities of daily living -- traffic, making formation ... perhaps the stressors then bring some of these symptoms to light," Cho said.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Study Challenges Typical Treatment for TBI

Neuroscientists at UCLA are suggesting that lactate may be a better replacement "fuel" for the brain in the immediate period after a traumatic brain injury as opposed to glucose, which currently is used. Lactate is best known as being a cause of stiff muscles and fatigue.

Study Challenges Conventional Treatment After Traumatic Brain Injury

Prior work conducted by Dr. Neil Martin, a professor and chief of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Thomas Glenn, a UCLA adjunct assistant professor in the department of neurosurgery, first demonstrated that the brain takes up lactate after traumatic brain injury. Now, using a $275,000 grant, Martin's team of researchers will determine why the brain does this and whether the brain is using lactate to help in recovery. "The prevailing theory for the brain after traumatic injury is that, just as in normal circumstances, glucose is the primary source for energy," Glenn said. "Further, it was thought the brain's metabolic process produces lactate, long considered a harmful waste product of a dysfunctional metabolism, one that causes further cell death via acidosis, an abnormally high buildup of acid in blood and tissue."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 12:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pro-Helmet Lobby Weak

Miguel Hardy, 24, was killed last year after he flew from his Harley-Davidson motorcycle near his Phoenix home. Hardy's father, Tim, expresses anger at the driver who hit Miguel, causing him to fall from his motorcycle, anger at the police who Hardy says did not adequately investigate the crash, and a motorcycle group that did not help them. However, Hardy does not blame an Arizona law that allowed his son to ride without wearing a helmet. "If riders don't feel they need one, they shouldn't be told they have to wear one," Hardy says. "I mean, we are in the U.S. I served 20 years in the military for our rights." Hardy, who lives in Austin, also rides motorcycles.

Motorcyclists encouraged Congress to block the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from lobbying as state legislatures considered repealing helmet laws in the late 1990s. In 2005, Congress gave states $25 million to help educate about motorcycle safety and motorcyclists helped make sure none of the funds could be spent on promoting helmets. Currently, no "pro-helmet" lobby exists. Motorcyclists are adamant about helmet laws not being put into place because so much of riding a motorcycle is a feeling of freedom.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Woman Suffers Brain Injury as Result of "Negligent Dancing"

Lacey Hindman, 22, is suing her dance partner, saying that he dropped her onto her head after flipping her in the air at an office dance party. Hindman says that during an office party in April 2006, David Prange picked her up by the forearms, threw her into the air, and she then fell on to the wooden floor. Hindman says she was "in the air, over him. I fell hard enough that you could hear the impact of me hitting the floor over the sound of the jukebox."

Woman dropped on head alleges 'negligent dancing'

Hindman says that she suffered a fractured skull and brain injuries from the impact. She seeks damages for lost wages and also for the time she missed from work. Hindman worked for Prange's wife, Kate Prange, at Shop Girl, which is a women's boutique.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 01:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Previous Head Injuries Increase Risk for Future Head Injuries

A study out of the University of Montreal has found that kids who have suffered previous head injuries are at an increased risk for future head injuries. Dr. Bonnie Swaine says that children with head injuries were almost twice as likely to have a repeat head injury compared to kids who had suffered other injuries, like sprained ankles or wrists. Swaine said that the data indicated two risk factors for head injuries: previous head injury and being a young boy.

Previous Head Injuries a Risk of Subsequent Head Injuries in Children: Study

Standard procedure already mandates that those with head injuries take a four week rest period following a head injury. However, this study indicates that a longer rest period is necessary.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brain Injury Survivors Help Each Other

A Michigan group for brain injury survivors called Recreation and Socialization in a Variety of Places, or RSVP, brings several dozen brain injury survivors together for various activities. Anne Regalski, an occupational therapist who helped begin RSVP about five years ago, says many people are initially hesitant to join RSVP. "Initially, they don't want to be with people like them," she says. "They don't want to see the deficits or the difficulties. They don't want to be known for their injury."

Brain Injury Survivors Strengthen Each Other

Marty Zobrovitz, who suffered a brain injury so severe that doctors said he would not survive, works as an RSVP coordinator. Zobrovitz says he understands why many people fear being labeled by joining the group, but he has been able to understand that the group's benefits outweigh any stigma. "One of the things that a brain injury does is take away any social interaction," he says. "The individual with a brain injury is not the same person as before the accident."

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mild Head Injuries Up Rate of Sleep Disorders

A mild head injury can increase a person's chance of developing a sleep disorder, says a recent study published in the April 3, 2007 issue of the journal of Neurology. The researchers who conducted the study say that the findings show the need for improved diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders in those with mild traumatic brain injury patients who suffer from insomnia. Study author Liat Ayalon, PhD, says that "as many as 40 to 60 percent of people who have mild traumatic brain injury complain of insomnia."

Mild Head Injuries Increase Risk of Sleep Disorders

Researchers looked at 42 people who complained of insomnia after a mild traumatic brain injury. Those who were believed to have a circadian rhythm sleep disorder (CRSD) were studied using brain scans, sleep studies, and had their oral temperature and saliva melatonin measured. Ayalon said that the study indicated that "the frequency of sleep disorders in this study is considerably higher than the rate of these disorders among people attending sleep clinics for insomnia, which is seven to ten percent." Ayalon added that circadian rhythm sleep disorders often are associated with cognitive and psychological problems.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Experts Hope to Avoid Epilepsy After Brain Injury

Many of those who have suffered traumatic brain injury likely will develop epilepsy months or years after their initial injury. The risk is especially high for certain types of war injuries; studies of Vietnam veterans have indicated that up to 50% of war vets will suffer epilepsy later in life. Studies currently are underway to determine what causes the increased epilepsy risk and if anything can be done to protect vulnerable brains. Pilot studies currently are investigating if Topamax or Keppra may prevent epilepsy if taken immediately after a serious brain injury.

Experts Hope to Avert Epilepsy After Brain Injury

Dr. Marc Dichter, from the University of Pennsylvania and who currently is leading the Topamax study, says that "it is among the most frustrating things in medicine to know that someone's at risk... and be unable to do anything about it." About three million Americans suffer from epilepsy and about five percent of these cases are believed to be related to traumatic brain injury. About 35 percent of survivors of moderate to severe brain injury will develop epilepsy.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Baby's Brain Injury Caused By Hit?

Ethan Tiaiti, age three months, was admitted to Middlemore Kidz First hospital in New Zealand last April. He was found to have fractures to his skull and his thighs and bleeding in his brain and behind his eyes. Ethan's father, Andrew Wepiha, is currently on trial for having intentionally caused harm to his son.

Baby's brain injury 'may be result of single blow'

Medical experts testified that one of Ethan's skull fractures was recent but another likely had been caused some time earlier. While there is some dispute about when the injuries occurred, forensic pathologist Rex Ferris says that the injuries are "absolutely typical of non-accidental abusive injuries." Wepiha maintains that he "never touched" the baby.

Posted by Patricia Bowling at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 30, 2007

Study Analyzes Craniectomy Outcomes in Kids With TBI

April 27, 2007

Brain Damaged Man Wins $4.3 Million

April 26, 2007

Infrascanner Promising in Diagnosis of Brain Injury

April 25, 2007

Alcohol or Aspirin Consumption Doesn't Lead to Hemorrhage in TBI Patients

April 24, 2007

Middle School Student Hospitalized After Festival Injury

April 23, 2007

New Study Shows How Injured Brain Compensates

April 20, 2007

Judge Grants Request to Keep Baby on Life Support

April 19, 2007

18 Percent of Deployed Ft. Carson Troops Have Brain Injury

April 18, 2007

Study Challenges Typical Treatment for TBI

April 17, 2007

Pro-Helmet Lobby Weak

April 16, 2007

Woman Suffers Brain Injury as Result of "Negligent Dancing"

April 13, 2007

Previous Head Injuries Increase Risk for Future Head Injuries

April 12, 2007

Brain Injury Survivors Help Each Other

April 11, 2007

Mild Head Injuries Up Rate of Sleep Disorders

April 10, 2007

Experts Hope to Avoid Epilepsy After Brain Injury

April 09, 2007

Baby's Brain Injury Caused By Hit?