Brain Injury ER Visits On the Rise Says New Study |
Posted: October 7, 2014 |
CBS News reported this May that a new study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that emergency room visits due to TBI (traumatic brain injury) rose by 30 percent between 2006 and 2010, a rate of increase eight times faster than the rise in total ER visits. It is thought that efforts over recent years to better educate people about the serious dangers of head injuries have led to the rise. While most concussions fix themselves within two weeks, those that do not can lead to extreme and enduring complications. People are being more cautious about head injuries, more often taking the injured persons to the ER instead of just waiting it out. Cause of Brain InjuryThe number one group that suffers head and brain injuries in the United States is young people in their teens and early twenties. This group is active in contact sports and other high-risk activities, and they also have a proportionally large share of total traffic accidents, which account for more brain injuries than any other cause. Accidental slips and falls are a major cause as well, many of the elderly being especially vulnerable. Oxygen deprivation to the brain, nerve damage, or simply damage to the brain tissues themselves are the more proximate causes. Classes of Brain InjuryBrain injuries can be inherited, but most are acquired. Acquired brain injuries are subdivided into those from internal causes (progressive degenerative diseases) and those from external causes (impact to the head). The latter is called a traumatic brain injury and includes open head injury (wounds or bruises are visible) and closed head injury (the wounds are internal or difficult to notice). Results of Brain InjuryA person's whole life can radically be changed by a severe brain injury. After the initial medical treatment, continued rehabilitation efforts will begin and possibly last for years or a lifetime. Symptoms experienced could include: headaches and head pain, eyesight problems, fatigue, memory and cognition problems, difficulty learning, and having a hard time following schedules and keeping oriented. Help for Brain Injury Victims at Educational InstitutionsSchools and colleges often have special accommodations ready for those with brain injuries. Higher education programs designed to meet their needs and help them succeed have become more common since so many have been injured and still decided to attend college. With over five million Americans living with a brain injury and having a college degree being so crucial in much of today's workforce, colleges have met the challenge and found ways to maximize learning opportunities for brain injury victims. Legal Repercussions of Brain InjuriesThose who have suffered brain injury through the negligence or misconduct of others have full access to the nation's court systems to seek compensation. Unsafe conditions on a business or private property, defective auto parts, reckless or drunk driving, medical malpractice or misdiagnosis leading to permanent damage, returning players of football or other sports prematurely into a game after concussion, and failure to respond properly to infant distress during birth are all possible grounds for a brain injury lawsuit. Damages can include medical expenses, loss of income, rehabilitation and special education costs, pain and suffering, and psychological impairment. If you or a loved one has experienced major brain injury and have not received any compensation from responsible parties, make sure you contact a good injury attorney as soon as possible to obtain rightful and lawful compensation.
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