Articles & Information

Malpractice Claims Rose Against New York City Last Year

Over the last year, taxpayers have paid about $145 million in settlement and judgments for medical malpractice suits against New York City hospitals and municipal health care providers. Although there are more cases, the cost has decreased because the city tries to settle out of court to avoid excess legal fees.

Treatments: Hormone May Help Heal Brain Injuries

A new study shows that the female reproductive hormone, Progesterone, might be an effective treatment for Traumatic Brain Injuries. Researchers included 100 patients in the study who had moderate to severe brain injuries and who were also admitted to the hospital within 11 hours of the accident. If proven effective, this would be the first new treatment for TBI victims in 39 years.

Just Another Face in the Crowd, Indistinguishable Even if it’s Your Own

Face Blindness, medically known as Prosopagnosia, can be a rare result of a stroke or brain injury. The condition causes a cognitive disorder and makes it impossible to remember faces. Some are born with face blindness and never realize that they have the problem.

Paralyzed Man Uses Thoughts to Move a Cursor

In high school, Matthew Nagle was a star football player. He was visiting a beach with friends when he was stabbed in the neck when a brawl broke out, causing paralysis to his body below his shoulders. Doctors implanted a small sensor in his brain that allows him to control a computer, TV and robot with just his thoughts.

Disabilities No Barrier to the Entrepreneurial Spirit

A victim of a car crash as a teenager manages to run his own small business in his 40’s. Greg Prater suffered from a brain injury that caused both physical and cognitive disabilities. His handicap did not stop him from starting his own successful company called Greg’s Vending Machines. He was recently recognized by the state of Maryland for his achievements.

Mute 19 Years; He Helps Reveal Brain’s Mysteries

After 19 years of being mute, Terry Wallis regains his voice. Wallis sustained a brain injury after a traffic accident left him in a state of minimal consciousness. His first words were “Mom”. 100,000 to 200,000 people in American are said to be in the same, unresponsive state as Wallis was.

Inquiry Into Reporter’s Death Finds Multiple Failures in Care

David Rosenbaum died two days after he was viciously attacked in the streets while under the influence of alcohol. Sources say that his life could have been saved if the people that were responding to the 911 call and at the hospital acted more efficiently and quickly. Authorities question the actions taken during this series of events and investigate the parties responsible.

A New Kind of Care in a New Era of Causalities

A 29 year old reserve Marine lived through a car bombing in Iraq only to sustain serious brain injury, arm and facial fractures, 3rd degree burns and problematic infections of the central nervous system. The Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center in Tampa, Florida gives new hope to causalities of war and along with the help of the Department of Veterans Affairs, they find new techniques to combat injuries soldiers endure when in combat situations.

Struggling Back from War’s Once Deadly Wounds

More then 1,700 of those wounded in Iraq are known to have brain injuries and half are severe enough that they may permanently impair thinking, memory, mood, behavior and the ability to work. Jason Poole, a 23 year old marine corporal had to learn how to walk and talk from scratch after being injured by a roadside bomb near Syria.

Boston Court Approves Ending Life Support for Girl in Coma

A young child that was a victim of profound child abuse by her adoptive parents is approved to end life support. Haleigh Poutre, who was only 11 years old, was beaten into a coma and had been unconscious for 5 months before the courts ruled to end life support. Her adoptive step-father was battling the ruling and sources say it’s because he was already a convicted felon and if the girl passed, he would be charged with murder. The adoptive mother committed what appears to be a murder suicide after she was accused of the crime.

Miner’s Wife Hopes Prayers and Metallica Will Help Him Pull Through

The sole survivor of the Sago Mine disaster hangs onto life. Randal McCoy is in a coma after 12 of his fellow miners died from carbon monoxide poisoning. McCoy is in critical condition and doctors hope that he will be able to recover from the lack of oxygen to his brain which caused damage. They won’t be able to establish the severity of the brain injury until he wakes from the coma.

Retaliation in Right-to-Die Case

Terry Schiavo’s husband, Michael formed a political action group called TerriPAC to support or oppose candidates in right-to-die situations, depending on their case. Michael led the controversial movement to remove his wife’s feeding tube after being in a vegetative state for 15 years. Terry died at age 41, 13 days after her life support machines were turned off.

Poisoning From a Popular Pain Reliever Are Rising

Unintentional poisoning of acetaminophen has increased over the last ten years. This drug is best known as Tylenol but many fail to realize that it’s also an active ingredient in other medicines like Excedrin, Theraflu and NyQuil Cold and Flu as well as various prescription drugs like Vicadin and Percocet. The most common side effect is liver failure. If acetaminophen is taken in unusually high doses, it has been found to be lethal. Many doctors blame mislabeling when dealing with accidental toxic contaminations.

A Scotch A Day

Drinking may increase your chances to sustain brain damage. At the University of California in San Francisco, a study was done that found that people who drank 100 drinks or more on a monthly basis were extra susceptible to minor brain injuries. And the quantity of drinks decreased to 80 for women. Researches say heavy drinkers can experience memory shortage, attention imparities and loss of balance.

Concussion: Head Trauma

A concussion is usually a mild brain injury sourced by traumatic circumstances such as a blow to the head in result of an assault, fall, collision and other associated accidents. Most concussions don’t reveal structural damages, but cause temporary disruption of normal brain operation. There are numerous ways to incur a concussion and mild to severe damage can transpire immediately, or weeks to months after the injury occurs.

Common High School Sports Injuries

According to the Center of Disease Control, more than a million sport injuries occurred over the last year amongst High School students. The CDC encourages athletes to stay adequately hydrated and wear protective gear to prevent injuries such as head trauma. If a head injury should take place, the athlete should seek medical attention to be on the safe side. Of course if the athlete is unconscious or acts abnormally after the incident happens, emergency help should be sought at once. Some traumatic head injuries can be fatal so wearing a helmet while playing sports like Football is essential for safety.

“My Husband Survived; the Man I Married Didn’t”

A New York man suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury after being hit by a car while walking his dog. The wife discusses her experience with the post-accident care and how their lifestyle changed as he suffered from several, exhausting symptoms like hallucinations, disorientation and memory loss. He needs constant supervision and she struggles with the fact that she can’t take proper care of him and has to leave him at a secured, nursing home facility.

Shadow Person Lurks in Brain

A Swiss MD, Shahar Arzy, performed a cognitive neurology test on a patient who was being evaluated for epilepsy surgery. The research team electrically stimulated the left temporoparietal junction in the patient’s brain and she claimed to feel as if someone was standing behind her. They repeated the test a few times over and concluded that she experienced the same feeling that someone who suffered from a neurological or psychological disorder. No such person really existed but it was remarkable to identify which part of the brain could potentially be responsible for hallucinations.

Accused stepfather fights to keep girl alive

Haleigh Poutre was 11 years old when she sustained serious head trauma and was beaten into a coma by her adopted mother and step father. The victim was in the right-to-die unit until she showed signs of improvement. Her step father was fighting to keep her alive, but his reasoning is questionable. Some have said it’s because the charges against him would change to murder if she died.

Brain Injury Link with Amateur Boxing

A study shows the difference in severity between professional boxers and amateur boxer when it comes to Brain Cell Injury. Researchers show that 20% of professional boxers develop chronic traumatic brain injury.

US Army to Conduct Phase 2 Trial of Glypromate to Reduce Brain Injury from Cardiac Arrest

Physicians from Madigan Army Medical Center will conduct a study to test the safety and effectiveness of Glypromate (R) in preventing brain injury as a result of out of hospital cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest involves sudden and complete cessation of the heart leading rapidly to neurological and other organ system damage. Often when the heart stops and the person is not resuscitated fast enough, the brain is deprived of oxygen which can cause brain damage.

Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury found to be Significant US Health Resource Burden

Researchers studied data supplied by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids Inpatient Database from the year 2000 to discover that more then $1 billion in total hospital charges. Based on the given data, 50, 658 TBI- related hospitalizations were suffered by children under 17 years old and 15-17 years of age had the highest hospitalization rate out of the category.

Brain Cell Survival After Brain Injury After Brain Injury: Promising New Research

New research shows that a protein in the brain can save neurons from dying after experiencing traumatic brain injury from incidents such as stroke, car accidents and falls. The next challenge for scientists is to develop a drug that does the same thing as the protein.

Traumatic Brain Injury (Concussion)

A concussion is a brain injury that temporarily prevents the brain from working normally. There are many different reasons that people sustain concussions from incidents like physical fights to car accidents to trip and falls.

Amateur Boxers Risk Brain Injury

Researchers in the Netherlands studied mental effects in 38 amateur boxers before and after fights. The study showed various cognitive disorders like memory loss, attention shortage and a decrease in comprehension.

Francesco Bertolotti, Soccer Midfielder for Modena (Italy)

Francesco Bertolotti, an Italian soccer player, suffered from a head injury when a player from the opposing team hit him, causing Bertolotti to fall and strike his head on the floor. He remains in a coma and doctors say it will take extensive rehab and therapy to recover from the brain damage.

There are NO “Mild Concussions” When Kids Are Involved

Doctors say that if a brain injury occurs during a critical “window” in a child’s development, that window could be potentially closed forever. Brain damage can be prevented if children wear protective gear when participating in activities that require safety equipment.

Roller Coaster G Forces Safe for Most

Roller coasters have been said to cause brain injuries due to the G force levels, but a new study says hypertension and vessel abnormalities may be the real cause. Researchers still encourage riders to buckle-up.

Headbangers: Contact sports put men at high risk of concussion

The primary causes of brain injuries are vehicle crashes, falls, and sports accidents. The Brain Injury Association says that someone in the US sustains a TBI every 15 seconds.

New Worries for Roller-Coaster Riders

Subdural Hematoma is a brain injury that is caused by torn veins in the brain. The high velocity and acceleration experienced while riding a roller coaster may result in the development of a hematoma.

Head Injury, Age 3 and Younger

Head injuries are most common amongst young children than grown-ups. The leading causes for head injuries are falls or physical abuse. It’s difficult to tell the difference between a mild and severe head injury so it’s important to see your medical practitioner immediately.

Head Injury Treatment Self-care at Home

There are several different ways you can treat a head injury at home. Depending on the type and severity of the injury- you can use methods like icing with frozen vegetables or homemade ice packs to reduce swelling. These tactics can be used for mild brain injuries that were not in result of being knocked unconscious. More serious trauma should be treated by a doctor.

Home Rehabilitation May Help Those With Brain Injuries

In June 2000, a study was done on 128 patients that were active-duty military personnel. Researchers split the group in half and used different strategies to recuperate patients from brain injuries that ranged from mild to critical in severity.

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