Brain Injuries
Scientists in the UK and Belgium have uncovered a new way of communicating with paitients who have brain damage. The method, called EEG, is painless and only involves sticking electrodes to their heads. All of the patients in the trial had been diagnosed with severe brain injuries and were in a vegetative state. When a person is in a vegitative state, they are awake but have no awareness of their surroundings or themselves. In the trial, "patients were asked to imagine wiggling their toes or squeezing their right hand. The brain activity of three of the 16 patients showed they were repeatedly able to follow commands." Helen Gill-Thwaites, a consultant in the diagnosis of low awareness states at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) in Putney said: "For a small proportion of patients EEG could be a very useful tool in the diagnostic process."
Severe brian injury, also called Traumatic brain injury (TBI), is a form of acquired brain injury, and occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue. Symptoms of a TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the extent of the damage to the brain. A person with a mild TBI may remain conscious or may experience a loss of consciousness for a few seconds or minutes. Other symptoms of mild TBI include headache, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision or tired eyes, ringing in the ears, bad taste in the mouth, fatigue or lethargy, a change in sleep patterns, behavioral or mood changes, and trouble with memory, concentration, attention, or thinking. A person with a moderate or severe TBI may show these same symptoms, but may also have a headache that gets worse or does not go away, repeated vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, an inability to awaken from sleep, dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes, slurred speech, weakness or numbness in the extremities, loss of coordination, and increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation.
Nearly 1.7 million people in the United States sustain traumatic brain injuries each year from common causes such as auto accidents and falls. In addition, American Service members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world face unique risks of traumatic brain injury from routine military operations, enemy fire and explosive devices. According to the DoD, in the past 12 years, more than 200,000 Service members deployed worldwide have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, adding to the urgent need for preventive methods and treatments. Total costs of traumatic brain injury in the United States - including medical care, lost wages and other expenses - exceed $60 billion.
If one of your family members has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may need to speak with a brain injury lawyer in your area. The experienced brain injury lawyers in Myrtle Beach are ready to speak with you about your case. Call The Mace Firm to schedule your free consultation with one of our Myrtle Beach brain injury lawyers.
