Traumatic Brain Injury
People suffer traumatic brain injuries in a wide range of ways including car, truck and motorcycle accidents as well as falls. They are among the most common disabling neurological disorders. They also raise serious legal issues as they may leave the injured person unable to care for themselves or their family, unable to earn income and with substantial medical expenses.
In the United States, at least 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries occur every year and there are over five million people living with a disability from a traumatic brain injury. The impact of a traumatic brain injury can be profound. A traumatic brain injury can involve the cognitive, emotional and behavioral functioning of a person. Motor and sensory problems may also occur with more severe injury. An individual with a traumatic brain injury which appears less severe, may not have any physical sign of injury. The person may however experience a profound impact on their ability to function. This can be a challenge for the doctors managing the patient’s care as well as the Chicago attorney advocating fair compensation on their behalf.
Mild traumatic brain injuries
Most brain injuries are “mild”. The vast majority of emergency department visits and hospital admissions for brain injury are for people who have suffered a “mild” traumatic brain injury. Approximately 80% of the hospital admissions for a brain injury are be for a “mild” traumatic brain injury, 10% for moderate and 10% for a severe injury.
A mild traumatic brain injury can be a difficult condition to diagnose and treat. Although there may be damage, it may not be reflected on a CT scan or MRI. Some bruising of the brain falls below the threshold of study of a CT scanner. This can lead to difficulty in persuading an insurer or a jury of the nature and extent of the brain injury.
It is often difficult to predict the long-term outcome of a mild traumatic brain injury or for that matter a moderate injury as well. A few factors are relied upon by doctors to predict outcome after head trauma. The Glasgow coma scale (GCS) evaluates the eyes, verbal skills and motor skills of the patient. A score of 15 is normal. The lowest possible score is 3 which suggests deep coma or death. A 15 represents a fully awake person. A low GCS score also may predict poor outcome. Hemorrhage and fracture are important predictive factors for an unfavorable outcome as are CT scan irregularities, abnormal pupillary responses. Patients older than age 60 may also have a poor prognosis.
Even a small amount of brain damage can profoundly change and damage someone’s life. The issues involved in the medical care can be complex and the legal issues challenging.
Oftentimes a neuropsychologist will become involved in examining a traumatic brain injury patient to address the extent to which the traumatic brain injury affects the ability of the individual to function. A neuropsychological examination may include evaluation of attention, memory, executive functioning, speech and language, intelligence and motor skills. Neuropsychological testing can assist in the evaluation of mild, moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries and the increased risk of the onset of psychiatric illness.
Traumatic brain injury and the elderly
Although motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of a traumatic brain injury in a younger individual, falls account for the highest proportion of traumatic brain injury in older individuals. Motor vehicle accidents remain the second most common cause of traumatic brain injury in people over the age of 65. Older patients tend to have more cognitive impairment after a traumatic brain injury then do younger patients. Elderly patients who sustain traumatic brain injuries are generally at risk for a higher mortality as well as poor cognitive and functional outcomes.
Age related cerebral atrophy leads to a decrease in brain volume per year after the age of 60. The aging brain may be less able to mount an effective regenerative response to brain trauma. Age related changes also lead to a re