Chicago Brain Injury Lawyer Blog

When an Illinois brain injury is caused by the negligence of another, the injured individual can seek compensation for the harm caused. Often, the negligent party and the one harmed will reach an agreement on a fair amount of compensation without the need to go to trial. These settlements are helpful in that they save time and money while still allowing both sides to resolve the situation in a satisfactory manner.

However, there are times when a settlement cannot be reached. In those cases, the lawsuit proceeds to trial where a judge or jury hears the evidence and reaches a ruling. When the ruling is in the plaintiff’s favor, there is often a second phase to the legal matter. In that phase, more evidence is presented, however it only has to do with establishing the damage amount—not deciding liability or no liability. Each Illinois brain injury lawyer at our firm appreciates that it can be difficult to know for certain what resources a family will need as a result of the injury caused. This is because sometimes the long-term effects of brain injuries are sometimes hard to pinpoint.

The difficult in identifying the overall cognitive abilities of those who have an injured brain was the focus of an article at Health News Digest this week. The difficulty is most apparent in those with the most severe brain injuries. For example, researchers have found that for some, it takes the use of complex machine-learning programs in conjunction with repeated brain scans for doctors to determine with certainty whether a patient with a severe brain injury was capable of accurate communications. Essentially the issue is whether or not the patient can generate reliable brain activation patterns in response to stimuli. Sometimes this is thought of as the limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness. The entire area is still rife with uncertainty.

In short, the finding suggests that some patients unable to communicate with voice or gestures were still able to occasionally answer questions using mental imagery. Interestingly, some who could communicate were conversely unable to complete the mental tasks. This suggests that not all minimally conscious victims are the same and those in the “locked-in” state do not have the same cognitive functions.

These latest techniques at identifying cognitive function, while cumbersome, are seen as an improvement over earlier, less sophisticated methods. The head researcher explained that “the reanalysis with new, more sensitive methods provides evidence that the problem with communication may reflect a mismatch of our expectations in designing the assessment, rather than a failure on the subject’s part in an attempt to accurately communicate with us.”

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys understand that there is still much to learn when it comes to the abilities and limitations of those suffering cognitive injury. However, that does not mean that the amount of long-term care and extra help needed by the injured party (and the cost of those resources) cannot be determined with some accuracy. That is essentially what reaching a damage award is about. Over the years our legal professionals have gotten quite good at identifying and calculating the overall loss so that our clients receive as full compensation as possible.

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Bike Struck By Car Recovers $675,000 in Brain Injury Lawsuit

Levin & Perconti Recover $975,000 in Wrongful Death Case Resulting from Fall from Balcony

The Register-Guard reported last week on a new brain injury lawsuit that was filed by a father against a hospital on behalf of his injured adult daughter. The medical malpractice suit makes claims that the doctors involved in the care of his daughter did not act properly when caring for the woman after she had suffered a stroke. As a result of their inaction, alleges the father, the woman suffered a permanent brain injury that will affect the rest of her life.

The incident occurred a year and a half ago when the woman went to the hospital claiming that she had suffered a seizure, was nauseas, was vomiting, and had a four-day long severe headache. Unfortunately, the medical professionals at the facility she visited did not provide much care. She received some treatment and was sent home the same day.

Her problem did not go away. The very next day she went back to the hospital with more problems. The seizures had continued, she found herself unable to response to other normally, her jaw was clenched, and she could not move the left side of her mouth properly. It wasn’t long before tests revealed that the woman had suffered a stroke. At that time she underwent emergency treatment, but her injuries cascaded. According to the suit she “sustained a profound, disabling, permanent brain injury.” In the aftermath of the incident the woman required multiple surgeries and was in the hospital for almost half a year.

According to the suit that was filed in the aftermath of the situation, had doctors provided appropriate care when the woman first went to the emergency room, then much of her subsequent injury would have been avoided. As a result of the error the woman racked up more than $1.5 million in hospitals bills. She is expected to have another $5 million in bills for the medical expenses that she will need the rest of her life. Of course, that is not even accounting for the severe mental and emotional pain that has been caused by the situation. The lawsuit is seeking recovery for all of those losses.

Our Chicago brain injury lawyers understand that most of our discussion on this blog revolves around traumatic brain injuries. Strokes are not traumatic brain injuries, and they are not caused by severe trauma to the head—like those in car accidents or falls. However, the damage that can result to the victim is just as damaging. There are few cases where things like strokes can be directly attributable to the negligence of another. Doctors involved in the care of the patients are obligated to provide reasonable care in the aftermath of a stroke. In addition, if a patient visits a medical professional exhibiting signs of stroke and the doctor fails to notice or act appropriately, then the caregiver may have acted negligently.

Unlike traumatic brain injury cases, those involving failure to provide proper care in a hospital is a form of medical malpractice. Somewhat different rules of law usually apply in medical negligence cases. However, in the end the root problems in the same in all of these brain injury suits—another party did not act reasonably, which caused the victim to suffer brain damage.

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Bike Struck By Car Recovers $675,000 in Brain Injury Lawsuit

Levin & Perconti Recover $975,000 in Wrongful Death Case Resulting from Fall from Balcony

Med Gadget reported this week on a new scanner that may offer important advances for those who have suffered a brain injury. The device, known as Infrascanner Model 1000, is used to detect intracranial hematomas—bleeding on the brain inside the head. It had been approved for use by the European Union for the last three years. However the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just recently approved the device for use on patients here in the United States.

The product works by using infrared light to see through the patient’s skull and thereby allowing detection of blood build up that might exists between the skull and the brain. Doctors can therefore quickly test many different regions of the skull. In the emergency room context it will allow doctors to decide in a timely fashion whether or not a particular patient needs a follow up CT scan to get a better idea of the extent of a brain injury victim’s injuries. Blog readers know that saving time in the crucial moments after a brain injury is vital. Brain damage often results from a “cascade” of problems, whereby brain cells and nerves are permanently destroyed not at the moment of head trauma but in the hours and days after it.

The new device was created by Infrascan. They explain in the product release page that the Infrascanner is non-invasive hand held device that help detect brain hematoma within the “golden hour.” This hour refers to the critical period after head trauma has occurred when medical professionals are forced to quickly assess the overall neurological condition of a victim. Medical mistakes at this time often have catastrophic consequences for victims who can see their condition deteriorate quickly if they do not receive proper medical attention. For example, if a football player is taken to the emergency room after taking a particularly hard hit, it is vital for the emergency room professionals to be able to asses immediately whether the head trauma is severe enough to demand certain follow up care. Our Chicago brain injury lawyers hope that these types of devices will be able to deliver on the promises and actually help professionals more accurately make those quick choices.

The company marketing the product explains that the hand-held device might be a particularly effective solution, because of its use of the light absorbing properties of hemoglobin and the non-ionizing nature of near-infrared technology. Essentially, the amount of light that is absorbed by a part of the brain that is not injured would be different than that part of the brain that is injured with blood collections. If a brain is healthy then the light absorption would be symmetrical. If a patient has suffered a brain injury resulting in intracranial bleeding, there will be irregularities in the reading.

It will be interesting to see if these devices enter widespread use, particularly in emergency rooms. It will also be important to track the effectiveness of the detection. If fewer patients report serious complications which could have been caught by earlier bleeding detection, then it might be a result of use of this device.

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Facts on Traumatic Brain Injury

Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed After 15-year old Injured During Deliveries

The Illinois brain accident lawyers at our firm know that one of the main benefits of holding those who cause these accidents accountable is the hope that the accountability will lead to the prevention of future accidents. Many injuries—including those affecting the head—often result in some permanent damage. Medical science has not solved all of the problems related to these situations, and so for many victims there is no returning back to normal. What is perhaps particularly painful about these injuries is that while the body of the individual exists just as it was before, the mind is forever changed. For families this presents painful situations where a loved one’s memory and personality are often forever altered. There is no easy way to deal with one of these accidents, and so a main goal for all those working in our area is to prevent Illinois brain injuries from striking in the first place.

New information reported yesterday in the Washington Post reaffirms the ultimate need to prevent these injuries, because the sad fact remains that most medical professionals still do not have clear strategies for treating traumatic brain injuries. A 250-page report was recently released by the Institute of Medicine which was produced at the request of the U.S. Defense Department. The federal agency is seeking information on the best way to treat the many returning military veterans who have suffered brain injuries. Many of the victims have experienced a variety of problems such as clouded thinking, poor planning and judgment, bad moods, and other issues. The injuries result in employment problems for the returning vets and also result in higher than normal instances of family conflict. The results of the report seeking to improve their situation are less than satisfying.

Overall the fourteen experts who prepared the report found that it remains incredibly difficult to consistently treat these injuries. There is no magic formula or drug that can be doled out to solve the problems. One of those involved in the project explained, “It doesn’t mean beneficial therapies don’t exist. It just means that at this point in time it’s hard to ascertain them.” It will take a lot more work before medical professionals understand what to do to help the many community members afflicted with these brain injuries. Unfortunately, many more victims of brain injuries exist than some would expect. For example, nearly 200,000 military members alone have been diagnosed with these problems in the past decades. Many others involved in sports collisions, car accidents, slip and falls, birthing complications, and other situations have also developed brain injuries.

Considering that medical professionals are still in the early stages of understand the proper therapies to treat these situations, more focus should be on prevention. Our Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyers have worked with many victims and their families whose injuries were caused by the negligence of others. Rooting out that negligence and preventing the accidents before they occur is an essential step in saving lives and sparing families from the lifelong complications wrought by these head injuries.

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Walk Draws Crowd to Raise Awareness for Traumatic Brain Injuries

Soldiers Brain Injuries from Blasts in Afghanistan Take A Toll

For a Chicago brain injury lawyer, the consequences of traumatic head injuries are very real. Working in this area, it is impossible not to come to grips with the reality of these accidents and the effects that they have on local citizens. However, most people are never aware of what it means to suffer a brain injury until they or someone they love happens to experience head trauma. It is only after a family has to work with through the recovery process that they understand the often permanent affect that these incidents have on victims’ lives.

For example, one woman recently shared her story with the Fairlawn Patch. She explained how her life changed forever when she accidentally fell down the stairs of her home one morning. The victim landed in a heap at the bottom. Her husband called emergency responders, and she was sent to the hospital. She spent three weeks in a coma. Doctors explained that she was lucky to be alive afterward. She experienced a fractured skull and bruising on both temporal lobes on her brain. As a result, even after more than six months of extensive cognitive remediation therapy, she has brain trouble. Most of her problems are centered around speaking and processing the speech of others.

Following her family’s ordeal, the victim has begun working with organizations to raise aware of the consequences of these injuries. She explained how far too many people fail to appreciate the overall scope of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) problem. Every year more people suffer a traumatic brain injury than are diagnosed with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and spinal cord injuries combined. It is not a small problem.

It is important for more residents to understand the scope of the problems and the ways that these TBIs can be prevented. To help in that effort many advocates participate in “The Walk for Thought,” a charitable effort to share victims stories and raise fund for their treatment. The walk has been going on for the last six years. It has become a popular event with many people involved in teams , raising money, and donating their time and resources. In addition actually walking, participants in the program work to share facts about brain injuries and ways they can be prevented.

Our Chicago brain injury lawyers know that these injuries arise in many contexts, from car accidents and falls to situations where medical professionals make mistakes. Sometimes the injury is caused by a simple accident—such as when the woman fell down her stairs. However, in many other cases, the injury was rooted in the negligence of another—like when a risky driver causes a bad accident. These TBIs usually require extensive and costly recuperation. It is important that victims have access to the funds necessary so that they can receive the help they need to get their lives back to normal as much as possible. If you or someone you know has suffered an Illinois brain injury caused by another’s negligence, please get in touch with our office to see how we can help.

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Facts on Traumatic Brain Injury

Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed After 15-year old Injured During Deliveries

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys are excited to hear that the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center has started using a new brain injury machine that was designed to help diagnose and help treat traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic brain injuries. This new machine uses a combination of MRI scanning and PET scanning which can show any problems or anything that is abnormal (MRI) and then check on the metabolic activity of any of these problems (PET), and this new machine is called a Biograph mMR. The ability to determine if something is wrong in the victim’s brain and what the problem in the brain is doing can greatly help doctors figure out what exactly is wrong with a patient and help determine what the best next step should be in order to help the patient recover as fully as possible. The goal is to help doctors diagnose more quickly, hopefully catching certain problems very early on. According to Next Gov, this new machine and technology are also safer than other forms of traumatic brain injury treatments.

This new device was recently approve by the Food and Drug Administration and has just recently started to be used to help patients. In addition to helping with traumatic brain injuries, the machine also aims to help with the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. The ability to help out with post-traumatic stress disorder is hopefully something that can be used to help with troops that have suffered from this problem, and to help them get better.

Traumatic brain injuries are often times caused by a fall or a hit to the head or some other incident that causes the brain to be jarred and hit into the skull. This type of brain injury may be slight or may be very severe. Traumatic brain injuries can be permanent and can require a great deal of medical care and rehabilitation for the victim of the injury. The hope with this new machine is that with certain traumatic brain injury cases the doctor may be able to better understand what exactly was happened and what exactly is wrong, and hopefully the victims may be able to recover more fully from their injury if more is understood about what is wrong.

Our Chicago brain injury attorneys are so happy to hear that this new technology may be able to help victims of traumatic brain injuries and their families get their loved one back to more of who they were before the injury. We have seen many families suffer with the effects that a traumatic brain injury can have on the family, and hope that this new machine can offer help to many of these families.

If you or a loved one suffered from a traumatic brain injury that was the result of another person’s negligence, please contact our Illinois personal injury lawyers today to talk about what options may be available to you. We have helped clients recover millions of dollars in damages in connection with their traumatic brain injury lawsuits, and can help your family receive the compensation that you deserve for all that you have suffered through.

Our Illinois brain injury attorneys were happy to see that the state of Arizona just became the first state that required that all student athletes enroll in and complete a concussion education program and pass a test making sure that they understand what they have learned about concussions before they are allowed to play in that state. According to the PR News Wire, the association that fought for this law to take effect said that they recognized how serious and dangerous traumatic brain injuries can be and that recurring concussions often lead to this type of serious permanent damage to athletes.

While twenty-eight states have laws that require some level of concussion education, this program is the first and only program currently in place that is directed specifically at student athletes, and the only current program that require the athletes to complete a test on what they have learned before the athlete is cleared to play within the state. The program is an online educational program, which is intended and designed to appeal more to the younger generation, so that the athletes will pay more attention to what they are learning and realize how important it is to learn about and how potentially dangerous concussions may be if they are not treated in the appropriate way.

The reason that concussion education is so important in connection with sporting injuries is that players need to be aware that if they ignore concussions and are not fully checked out before going back on the field, they may risk serious long term brain injuries caused by repetitive concussions. By educating athletes of the danger of concussions and teaching them about how to prevent concussions, hopefully the number of concussion related brain injuries will reduce in the sporting world. While this is just one state that has enacted this full educational program, the hope is that this will inspire other states and teams to enact similar programs that aim at concussion prevention.

Many players and their families have not been educated about the dangers of concussions and of continuing to play immediately following a concussion, but recently more and more doctors, sporting associations and teams are realizing how important this issue is and that many sporting related brain injuries are preventable. When the proper precautions are taken on the field or the proper steps are taken following a concussion or other type of hit to the head while playing sports, many brain injuries may be prevented. Whether it is through educating the players and their families, making sure that all helmets are up to the necessary standards, assuring that once a player is hit they are not sent back on the field until they have been thoroughly checked out by a doctor, being aware of the danger of head injuries in sports is very important for everyone involved.

Coaches and sporting associations owe their players a duty of care and should always disclose any information they have available regarding dangers to their players and are acting negligently if they decided to withhold this information from their athletes. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury that resulted from years of head trauma from sports, and were never taught about the dangers of repetitive concussions, please contact our Illinois personal injury attorneys today to discuss your options.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys were interested to learn more details about the lawsuit in which a group of former National Football League (“NFL”) players claim the NFL actively concealed evidence that repeated football head injuries and concussions could lead to serious cognitive brain damage. According to Business Insider, the lawsuit against the League also names Riddell, Inc. as a defendant, the company that has been the official football helmet brand for over 20 years. At this point both the NFL and Riddell refuse to comment on the pending lawsuit.

Concussions are a common head injury in heavy contact sports, such as football. When a player gets hit in the head during play the hit often leads to a concussion, which is when the hit causes the brain to jar or shake in the head. Because of how frequent concussions are in football, and how quickly the players are often back on the field and susceptible to being hit again, this issue has recently become a major concern in the sport.

The NFL has a brain injury committee that has been around for years and which was set up to research the effects of multiple hits on the players long term brain health. According to CNN, up until June of 2010, the committee claimed that there was no ongoing damage created by the multiple hits and concussions the players received and that the players had no long term damage to be concerned about. Then last year the committee finally released information that repeated concussions could lead to dementia, memory loss and other times of ongoing brain deterioration and damage. While a single concussion is not always something that is a serious concern, multiple concussions have been linked to permanent cognitive brain functioning problems and may impair speech, movement and learning. After this information was released, the NFL started issuing warnings to players and their families (but not to any former players that had suffered years of head injuries).

The player’s main issue against the league was that issuing these warnings were too little too late. The players allege that the league had to have been aware of the serious damage that the head injuries were causing but failed to warn the players of the dangers, and instead encouraged and allowed them to get right back out on the field. The lawsuit states that the football league, as employers of the players, acted negligently in their role when they knew of the risks of traumatic brain injuries associated with repeated concussions, but never warned the players of these serious dangers. The complaint against the NFL claims that with all the doctors around following the hits and witnessing the serious injuries occurring to the players, that the NFL had to know that there was long term danger associated with the sport and that they were engaging in fraud and deceit in keeping this information from the players.

Our Chicago Brain Injury attorneys are here to help both victims of traumatic brain injuries as well as the families of victims of these injuries. When a traumatic brain injury is caused, or worsened by, the negligence of another, the victim has a right to be compensated not only for the medical costs associated with the injury but also for the pain and suffering and other damage that they have suffered as a result. Our Chicago based law firm has helped out victims of brain injuries all over Illinois and are here to help you or your loved one receive the compensation you deserve.

Helping to heal traumatic brain injuries? There's an app for that.

Although no smartphone technology is ready to entirely replace a trained physician when it comes to diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injuries, recognizing the signs of head trauma and obtaining medical attention quickly are two of the best ways to improve chances of recovery, and decrease the risk of death from the head injury. That’s where the phone comes in.

According to The News Observer, a pediatric neuropsychologist (a doctor specializing in the inner workings of children’s brains) has recently developed an application for smartphones designed to help coaches and parents of athletically-inclined children, recognize and properly treat brain injuries.

The application asks the user a series of questions intended to gauge the likelihood of brain trauma, and saves the responses so they can later be shared with a doctor. It also features a system for monitoring symptoms for up to several days following the injury, and creates a daily workout routine to ease the child back into a safe return after recovery.

Each year in the United States, approximately 1.4 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury. Often times these injuries are made worse by failing to recognize or treat the damage following a blow to the head. Even within a hospital setting, brain trauma is difficult to diagnose because no technology (for example x-rays, MRI, or CAT scan) is available to show a concussion, so medical providers are forced to rely on patient observation. Concussions, which are a form of traumatic brain injuries, are caused when the brain is shaken inside of the skull, and often go untreated because they are so difficult to diagnose.

The application is calculated to help people recognize possible brain trauma and advise them with regard to seeking medical attention. It’s available on iTunes for $3.99, and a portion of the proceeds go to assist research at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Devastatingly, however, not all traumatic brain injuries are resolved by a speedy, uncomplicated recovery. At least 5.3 million Americans currently suffer from disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injuries. Our Chicago brain injury attorneys have fought tirelessly for the rights of hundreds of patients whose lives have been changed as a result of a traumatic brain injury. If you or a loved one has suffered a head injury that has significantly impacted your life, an attorney may be able to help you determine your rights.

On September 17, 2007, Barbara Lefforge entered St. Edna Nursing home for rehabilitation purposes. Barbara had just had surgery to repair tendon damage in her foot. Barbara’s surgeon mistakenly prescribed 50mg of Morphine when he had intended to prescribe her 50mg of Demerol.

The improper prescription was noticed by the pharmacist from which the medication was to be received, but nevertheless St. Edna administered all of the morphine they had in stock (a total of 30 mg). Upon the drug administration, Barbara suffered an overdose. St. Edna failed to monitor her and failed to bring her to the hospital until the next morning. Consequently, Barbara suffered a significant brain injury. This injury led Barbara to file a medical malpractice action against both her original surgeon and St. Edna.

The jury found St. Edna 90% at fault and her original surgeon 10% at fault. Sadly, Barbara was only at St. Edna a little over five hours when the negligence that caused her injury occurred. This was an injury that could have easily been avoided, and one that happens all too often in both hospital and nursing home settings.

Doctors are not perfect, and as such a system of checks helps to mitigate the damages that some of their mistakes can cause. The pharmacist in this situation correctly told St. Edna that the prescription was a mistake, still, St. Edna failed to listen and now both Barbara and St. Edna need to live with the consequences of St. Edna's negligence.

A research study shows that brain tissue may grow at a site of a traumatic brain injury by an injectable biomaterial gel. The research shows the biomaterial gel made up of both synthetic and natural sources may have a possibility to urge the growth of a patient’s own neural stem cells in the body, which can help mend the brain injury site. This could be the first step towards brain tissue regeneration. There has been an increase in brain injuries due to combat, which helped with the research. However, doctors believe that this research could be applied to head injuries caused by car accidents, falls and gunshot wounds. Recent brain injury studies have focused on using hypothermia or neuroprotection with pharmacological agents, but these have had little success. The new method shows that the hydrogel may be injected into the lesion site to direct the response of neural stem cells in the brain to supposedly redevelop normal brain tissue at the lesion site. To read more about the brain injury study, please click the link.

A new study from the Brain Injury Journal indicates that people might soon benefit from a blood test that can detect damaged nerve cells. Medical researchers measured a protein that is indicative of brain damage in boxers and found that the boxers had evaluated levels. Scientists also discovered that the brain damage didn’t abate after a two-month layoff from contact. This means that you cannot just wait out brain damage, it might develop later. To read more about the brain injury test, please click the link.

The National Football League is funding a study of mild traumatic brain injury in retired players. The study will measure the long-term effects of head injuries such as concussions and will also try to prevent future injuries by focusing on safety. Rules for play to prevent brain injuries will be created and enforced. Safety equipment will also be evaluated and redesigned to offer maximum protection against injury. To read the entire article that discusses the NFL’s efforts to battle mild traumatic brain injury, follow the link.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ announced the opening of several Veteran Service Offices across the state. The offices will act as a resource where veterans can access state and federal benefits. Among the most notable of the new services is a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder program. It is the first state program of its kind in the U.S. and it will provide brain injury screening and 24-hour support to Illinois veterans suffering from these injuries and conditions. Read more about the Illinois brain injury program for veterans.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, each year, 1.4 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury in the U.S. These injuries can occur in such incidents as falls, motor vehicle and assaults. Diagnosing a traumatic brain injury early can help to reduce the risk of serious injury or death. What should you look for? The CDC has identified some signs and symptoms of brain injuries to help people recognize them early. Signs and symptoms may include:

-Persistent head or neck pain
-Trouble remembering and concentrating
-Always feeling tired
-Dizziness and light-headedness
-Nausea
-Ringing in the ear

These are just a few of the symptoms of traumatic brain injury. To read to entire list, visit the brain injury information page on the CDC’s website.

An op-ed published by the New York Times draws attention to the fact that people do not know a lot about traumatic brain injury. Until the recent death of actress Natasha Richardson, many people had not realized the devastating effects a brain injury can have upon a person. According to the article, sports facilities where people could have a higher risk for brain injuries do little to educate staff about how to respond to brain injuries. The article also points out the lack of government funding for brain injury research.To read the full article on traumatic brain injury, please follow the link.

In a study of 326 women, researchers analyzed assault injuries including jaw fractures, zygomatic complex fractures, orbital blow-out fractures, and brain injuries to determine what injuries are common with intimate partner violence. A significant amount of women who reportedly were victims of domestic violence displayed injuries of jaw fractures, zygomatic complex fractures, orbital blow-out fractures, and brain injuries more so than assaulted women who did not know their attacker. The study was to help doctors screen out the women who displayed signs of domestic abuse in order to refer them to agencies that could help with their intimate partner problems.

For the full story, click here.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease typified by recurring seizures and abnormal brain activity. 1 out of 100 people are affected by epilepsy, and it causes about 50,000 deaths per year. The seizures caused by epilepsy can cause traumatic brain injury, having effects such as developmental delays, depression, and even death. US soldiers in Iraq who suffer from traumatic brain injuries are at a great risk for developing epilepsy. Based on the severity of the condition and it’s prevalence in society, much more research is needed on the subject. For more information, click here.

An 11-year-old North Carolina boy was left with a permanent brain injury after doctors made numerous medical mistakes during his treatment. After falling from a tree, the boy received treatment riddled with instances of medical malpractice. After detecting a shoulder injury, the boy was given herapin, a blood thinner, to treat a blood clot in his shoulder. The boy’s brachial plexus nerves of his spinal cords had been damaged and that injury had gone unnoticed, and as a result, the herapin caused bleeding in the spinal cord. Additionally, a mass called a subdural hematoma was located in his skull and doctors placed a halo around his head to stabilize his spine. One of the four screws used to keep the halo in place was screwed in ¾ inch too far by a medical resident, which caused further bleeding in the brain. As a result, the child suffered a significant brain injury and will be forced to live with severe cognitive impairments, preventing him from ever living independently or holding a job. A jury ruled in favor of the boy in the medical malpractice lawsuit, awarding him over $10 million from the various defendants. For the full story, click here.

A recent study released disclosed that patients with dementia and diabetes appear to display a different pattern of brain injuries in their brains than patients with dementia but without diabetes. There is an association between diabetes and an increased risk for dementia in the elderly.

For the full article.

A recent article profiled three new imaging techniques that can help physicians diagnose mild brain damage that is typically invisible to standard CT and MRI scans. Scientists hypothesize that mild head trauma damages the brain’s white matter that delivers messages between neurons. One of the most promising techniques to discover this brain trauma is called diffusion tensor imaging, that tracks water molecules in the brain’s white matter.

For the full article.