Traumatic Brain Injury Overview

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. In the U.S. each year: 52,000 individuals will die because of a TBI 1.4 million individuals will visit an emergency room because of a TBI 275,000 individuals will be hospitalized because of a TBI Pre-school children, adolescents, and older adults are the groups most impacted by traumatic brain injuries. From 2006 to 2014, the number of TBI-related emergency departments (ED) visits, hospitalization, and deaths increased by 53%. In 2014, about 2.87 million TBI-related emergency department visits,

Definition and Classifications The CDC defines a traumatic brain injury as “a disruption of normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury.”  A traumatic brain injury is considered a type of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) which is “an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, or degenerative, and one that has occurred after birth.”  There are 3 broad classifications of TBI: mild, moderate, and severe, with such designations roughly matching the symptom severity associated with each.  Even a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), however,

Two Injury Types Damage to brain tissue from trauma can occur to different structures  through multiple mechanisms over different time periods.  There are the damage mechanisms triggered immediately (primary) and then those triggered thereafter in the form of damage “processes” (secondary).  Secondary injury processes can take days, weeks, or longer, to run their full course, and are generally thought to cause the greatest damage to brain tissue. Primary Injury:  Damage occurs immediately in the form of brain bruising/bleeding (hematomas), referred to as “traumatic vascular injuries,” immediate and direct tissue obliteration from a projectile (bullet, metal object), blast wave damage from

Definition by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine A significant and now widely accepted definition of mild traumatic brain injury was established by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) in 1993. ACRM defined Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) as follows and added important  “Comments” at the end to clarify the definition. Definition A patient with mild traumatic brain injury is a person who has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function as manifested by at least one of the following: Any period of loss of consciousness, Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the

Proving a Microscopic Injury Most traumatic brain injuries fall under the “mild” classification, yet there is nothing mild about MTBI symptoms.  They can be significantly disabling, chronic, and pose unique proof challenges to a brain injury lawyer.  Simply stated, these cases can be difficult to prove. What’s unique about an MTBI that makes it difficult to prove?  What does it take to prove the existence of a MTBI?  Why is it sometimes hard to prove the accident caused the MTBI?  The answers to these questions, and similar others, can be found in the nature of the injury and in the

Your Medical Records Being a good patient can be challenging under any circumstances.  The challenges can be particularly unique when a mild traumatic brain injury is involved.  There are certainly compelling medical issues at play, for certain, but also matters that can have a serious impact on any lawsuit that might be brought.  Awareness of these medical/legal issues, and knowing how to handle them, can sometimes make the difference in winning and losing.  That difference is often lurking in the content of your doctor’s medical records.  How accurate are they?  Are they comprehensive?  Do your medical records reflect just how

Definitions Obviously, when this degree of brain injury is involved the circumstances are much more challenging and patient needs considerably more extensive.  These situations can be very difficult and a great challenge not just for the injury victim, but the entire family. Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries are characterized by symptom severity according to certain prescribed criteria. Though far from precise, certain observable and measurable markers show up within 7 days of the trauma and are fairly reliable to classify brain injury severity (mild, moderate, or severe). These include the presence and duration of loss of consciousness, post-traumatic amnesia

Brain Neurons Neurons are the “working” cells within the brain and central nervous system and are responsible for all brain communication within and throughout the body. Neurons have a specialized structure which allows them to transmit signals in the form of electrical impulses from the brain to the body and back. Transmission is continuous, occurs at amazing speeds, and involves chemical components known as “neurotransmitters” that help make the signally possible. There are 3 types of neurons: sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons. Each have different functions and the brain needs all of them to communicate effectively with the rest

Frequency of Injury The numbers are staggering.  A half million youngsters each year are taken to emergency rooms with head injuries from falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports, and abuse. Approximately 165,000 of these children will be hospitalized with 20,000 suffering moderate to severe symptoms.  These numbers are alarmingly high, in part, because of the unique characteristics of the infantile, underdeveloped brain. Susceptibility of the Young Brain The young brain is particularly susceptible to traumatic injuries because: brain neurons, and other structures and systems, are underdeveloped leaving them more vulnerable to traumatic events, immature brain neurons when traumatized tend to release

What is a concussion? Don’t be confused. A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and should be taken seriously. Just ask the NFL. Physicians often use the terms concussion and MTBI interchangeably, which can lead to confusion and a tendency to understate and under appreciate the significance of a concussion. The Centers for Disease Control defines a concussion as follows: “The term mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is used interchangeably with the term concussion. An MTBI or Concussion is defined as a complex patho-physiologic process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces secondary to direct or indirect