Articles Posted in Brain Injury

Childbirth can be a taxing experience for Maryland women, but the real damage might be caused by what comes later — the post-birth checkup. The failure to diagnose even a minor medical condition after birth can lead to significant medical complications later on. For one woman, her OBGYN’s misdiagnosis led to a worsened medical condition that began to affect all areas of her life.

Back in 2005, the 34-year-old gave birth to her second baby. In the days following labor she began to suspect that some serious damage had occurred during labor, as using the restroom suddenly became a time-sensitive matter. Although she was having increasing difficulty controlling her bladder and bowel movements, her doctor insisted that the tear she had suffered during labor had healed and that she was otherwise healthy. Despite this seal of approval from her doctor, the incontinence continued, and because of the ongoing issue she decided to leave her job and forego spending time with friends.

What her doctor failed to realize was the extent of the damage she had suffered to her pelvic floor. When she finally received the correct diagnosis eight years later, she was told that the muscles of her pelvic floor were barely functioning and likely responsible for the sudden onset of incontinence after giving birth. Unfortunately, missed diagnoses such as this one are not isolated events. A study from the University of Michigan performed MRIs on women nearly two months after they had given birth, and revealed a troubling pattern. Nearly 30 percent of the women in the study had undiagnosed pubic bone fractures, and another 41 percent had muscle tears in their pelvic floors that had gone undiagnosed.

A traumatic brain injury occurs when an external force causes brain dysfunction. It usually results from an individual receiving a violent blow — or jolt — to the head or body. When a Maryland resident receives a mild traumatic brain injury, this may cause a temporary dysfunction of the victim’s brain cells, while a more serious injury may result in torn tissues, bruising, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain that can result in either long-term complications or death.

An out-of-state girl was involved in a bike accident with a car that left her with a traumatic brain injury. The driver of the car reportedly took her eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at a street sign, and as soon as she looked back, she felt the force of the girl striking the car’s windshield. The girl’s forehead crashed into the car’s windshield, and she then went airborne, flying above the vehicle before landing on the road.

There she lay unconscious as her body, which was badly battered, gasped for air. She was airlifted to a trauma center. The accident resulted in her being unable to either speak or open her eyes normally. However, she was very lucky in that, unlike most outcomes of similar accidents, she was not paralyzed.

Five people are now in the hospital after a serious two-car collision that occurred out of state, police say. The accident occurred on a recent Tuesday morning in June. Of the five young people injured, one suffered a traumatic brain injury. As Maryland residents know, suffering a TBI is often a grave injury.

A car containing three young men pulled out onto another road when it was struck by another vehicle, eyewitnesses told local news crews. Police have yet to confirm which driver was at fault, but according to the eyewitnesses, the driver of the second vehicle was driving recklessly right before the accident. According to one local resident, the car was “flying up the road,” going over 100 mph while other drivers pulled over to the side of the road to get out of the way.

According to one of the fathers of the injured men, the three were childhood friends who recently came home from college and were leaving in order to celebrate the high school graduation of the brother of one accident victim when the accident occurred. The man’s son, a 21-year-old New Rochelle, NY, native is currently in critical condition at a local hospital, where he is being treated for a traumatic brain injury. The others, in their 20s as well, are still in the hospital, all in serious condition.

Any type of injury to the head or neck should be taken seriously. Traumatic brain injuries account for around 1.7 million visits to the emergency room, hospitalizations and deaths each year in the U.S. When Maryland individuals think of what might cause a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, they may think of an individual who is involved in a serious car accident or perhaps collides with a hard object. However, an individual may suffer a TBI due to any kind of trauma to either the head or neck region.

There are two overall types of injuries that individuals suffer to their heads — closed and open. In an open injury, the skull is fractured and usually occurs due to a fall or another type of accident by which the skull comes into direct contact with either a hard object or surface. Although a closed-head injury does not involve a fracture, it can, nonetheless, actually be more serious due to the chance that the brain might swell and dangerous blood clots could develop within the skull.

As a TBI can lead to loss of consciousness, paralysis and even death, it is crucial to have at least a basic understanding of how the warning signs present themselves. Although it can be difficult to determine whether the injury has occurred, due to the fact that there are no visual indications, there are still things to consider. If the person seems unusually tired, confused, experiences difficulty when trying to remember recent events, is dizzy, nauseous, has a severe headache or numbness or weakness on one side of his or her body after an injury or accident, he or she should seek immediate medical attention.

With every passing day, more research is being conducted and findings released regarding traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Much of the research centers around NFL players and adults who suffer this kind of injury. However, as some Maryland readers may know, not as much focus has been on what happens when a child suffers a traumatic brain injury.

Children who suffer from a traumatic brain injury typically face a long and sometimes difficult path to recovery. Children may require mental health treatment as well as physical therapy. It may take months or even years to get back on track. However, when the children come from a lower-income household with a limited amount of English proficiency, significant barriers may arise in attempting to get the care needed.

These were the results of a new study at the University of Washington. It found that a little less than 20 percent of rehab providers in the state were willing to accept Medicaid while also providing language translators for the children who had suffered traumatic brain injuries. Only 8 percent provided the often necessary mental health services, while Spanish-speaking patients needed to travel significantly farther in order to access any services.

Police are currently on the lookout for the driver who was involved in a hit-and-run accident that occurred out of state. The accident occurred on a recent Tuesday in April and involved a pedestrian who was critically injured and suffered a head injury. When Maryland residents are the victims of similar accidents, they are typically entitled to file personal injury suits against the responsible parties.

The accident happened a little after 11:30 p.m., police said. It occurred when a man around 50 years old was walking down the side of a street and was struck by a sedan. Police believe the sedan was darkly colored.

The victim suffered serious injuries, including a head injury. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. Police have yet to locate the vehicle or the driver, but said that the investigation is ongoing and that the driver might be facing multiple charges in relation to this accident.

An man was recently struck by an out-of-state public transport train car. The accident occurred on a recent Wednesday night in March. The man suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the train’s impact, officials said. When a similar accident occurs to a Maryland resident, the victim sometimes decides to pursue a personal injury claim against the responsible party or parties.

According to the local police department and the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Agency, the 22-year-old man had reportedly exited a Muni train, exited the platform, and was in the process of crossing the street when the accident occurred. He was struck by an inbound Muni train around 8:19 p.m. The pedestrian walk signal was in the process of changing from yellow to red after he began to cross the street.

The San Francisco man was rushed to a local hospital by paramedics. Although he suffered a traumatic brain injury, his injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said, and he was able to converse with investigators the day after the accident. The Muni train operator underwent a test for both drugs and alcohol, per standard procedure.

An out-of-state woman who was involved in a serious car accident a little over two-and-a-half years ago has been fighting to make improvements after suffering a traumatic brain injury in the crash. The 21-year-old female was unable to talk or walk for over a year as a result of the accident. If a Maryland resident suffers a brain injury in a similar accident that was due to the negligence of  another party, the victim is typically entitled to file a personal injury claim against the responsible party.

The accident occurred on Aug. 8, 2013. The woman suffered several serious injuries, which resulted in her being left in a coma. She was rushed to a medical center, where doctors later had to remove one part of her skull in order to relieve pressure that the traumatic brain injury caused.

Approximately 1.7 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries annually, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They may be caused by any number of things, including bumps or blows, as well as penetrating head injuries that results in the normal function of the brain being disrupted. The severity of an injury ranges from “mild,” resulting in a brief change in the victim’s mental status to “severe,” in which there is typically a lengthy period of unconsciousness or even amnesia.

A 4-year-old girl who was once healthy and normal suffered a brain injury that left her without the ability to walk, talk or see properly. The girl’s mother indicated that her daughter suffered the brain damage while visiting the dentist. When an individual like this young girl suffers a brain injury that was caused by the negligence of another party or parties, grounds may exist for a personal injury lawsuit in Maryland.

The negligent dental care she apparently received resulted in her suffering a severe brain injury, according to the out-of-state board of dental examiners who have issued a temporary suspension order on the dentist’s practice. Reportedly, the young girl visited the dentist on Jan. 7, 2016 in order to receive treatment for decaying teeth. However, after the dentist sedated the girl, she began experiencing seizures.

The dentist then attempted to treat the girl’s seizures by “administering oral medication” as opposed to contacting any emergency personnel, according to the board of examiners. The dentist then waited for several hours before eventually deciding to contact emergency personnel. As a result, the girl suffered a severe brain injury.

No matter the cause, a traumatic brain injury often brings about a lifetime of cognitive, physical and behavioral challenges. Early and adequate access to care for this type of injury will often greatly increase the victim’s quality of life overall. When a Maryland resident suffers a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another party, he or she is typically entitled to file a personal injury suit against the party or parties responsible.

Each year, nearly 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A TBI can be a life-changing event as victims may sometimes struggle with relationships and depression. The injury affects the victim as well as others around them, including friends and family. Their marriage may fall apart, and they may not be capable of holding a job. Additionally, they sometimes suffer chronic problems as a result of the injury, with many experiencing memory loss, even after suffering only a moderate TBI.

Aside from motor vehicle accidents, non-accidental trauma in both the young and old is unfortunately more common than many would believe. Another common cause is when a baby is either shaken or thrown, which often results in some amount of bleeding in the child’s brain. Treating these kinds of injuries requires a multidisciplinary approach, including the many recovery steps involved, necessary follow-up care and instructions for discharge, ongoing assessments, referrals and acute rehab.