Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Cambridge University in the UK is leading a 25 million EU research project into traumatic brain injuries in one of the largest collaborations the world of medicine has ever seen. More than 60 hospitals and 38 scientific institutes are participating in the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in TBI (CENTER-TBI) project. In total, data will be collected for 20,00030,000 patients, including extremely detailed data for over 5,000 patients. Traumatic brain injury affects 10 million people a year worldwide and is the leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults. Professor David Menon, co-chair of the Acute Brain Injury Programme at the University of Cambridge, who co-leads the new project said: Despite advances in care, the sad truth is that we are no closer to knowing how to navigate past this variability to the point where we can link the particular characteristics of a TBI to the best treatment and outcome. It is the global nature of the damage involving many parts of the brain that defines these types of traumatic brain injuries, which might result from transport accidents, assaults, falls or sporting injuries. Unfortunately, both the pattern of damage and the eventual outcome are extremely variable from … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 28-Jan-2014 Contact: Krister Svahn krister.svahn@sahlgrenska.gu.se 031-786-3869 University of Gothenburg Early rehabilitation interventions seem to be essential for how well a patient recovers after a severe brain injury. It might even increase the chances for long-term survival, according to researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy. In a series of studies, Trandur Ulfarsson, doctoral student at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, has explored the long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries caused for example by accidents or violence. The studies, where 280 Swedish and Icelandic participants were followed up 1-11 years after the injury, show a clear association between how quickly patients get access to rehabilitation and how well they recover. Functional activity improved 'We found that the functional activity for example how independent the patients are in their daily activities and how fast they can return to work is substantially improved among those who are admitted to inpatient rehabilitation care early,' says Ulfarsson, who presents the results in his doctoral thesis. The studies also show that severe brain injury often leads to an impaired pituitary function, most often lack of growth hormone, which in turn may cause obesity. Being unemployed or on sick leave prior to the injury also … Continue reading →

I had the privilege to work as a palliative care nurse practitioner in a large hospital with nine different intensive care units. One morning an order for palliative care was received from a trauma surgeon for a 67-year-old female patient with a traumatic brain injury and very poor prognosis. As a palliative care nurse practitioner it was my job to go to the ICU, review the patients chart, speak with the trauma surgeon, nursing and case manager, examine the patient for any symptom management needs, and contact the family to set up a meeting. In the family meeting we would discuss the patients condition, treatment options, advance directives, and patients prognosis. This particular case included the patient, her husband, four children, and eight grandchildren. The patient was a retired nurse, working as a volunteer for the Red Cross on a mobile unit for a blood drive in the community. She was exiting a bus mobile unit, and somehow lost her balance. She fell down the stairs of the bus and out the door head first onto the concrete curb, sustaining a major head injury. She was rushed to our hospital, where a MRI indicated a massive brain bleed, she was … Continue reading →

Topics: brain dead, brain tumour, coma, jamie manuele, rockhampton hospital AS Rockhampton's Daphnejean Finnegan strokes the head of her son, she knows one of the toughest decisions of her life is coming. Daphnejean is living every mother's worst nightmare. Her son Jamie Manuele has been stuck in a hospital bed since August, after he suffered swelling to his brain. After months of tending to his every need, she now has three options for Jamie's future. Daphnejean said she had been told by doctors that Jamie is brain-dead, leaving her with the options to transfer him to a brain injury centre in Brisbane, pay to keep him in a room in the Rockhampton Hospital, or take him home. She said she could not bear to send her son away to Brisbane, but the family could not afford the long-term cost of keeping him in the Rockhampton Hospital. In an ideal world, Daphnejean would bring her son home and care for him, but she does not have the equipment or training to go down that path just yet. Jamie still needs feeding tubes in hospital. But Daphnejean won't let doctors tell her that Jamie has no brain activity. Original post: Doctors say … Continue reading →

MISSOULA - Professional athletes and members of the military could soon benefit from traumatic brain injury research at the University of Montana. Two UM scientists recently earned a $300,000 grant from the NFL and General Electric as part of a national project on brain health. UM scientists have identified a protein in blood that's connected to how the brain reacts after a traumatic injury. They said their research could help doctors better diagnose and treat brain injuries. Assistant Research Professor of Biomedical Sciences at UM, Tom Rau, said they discovered levels of a certain protein in rats' blood dropped off after a traumatic brain injury. Then, they did the same test on human tissue. "When we stained the brain tissue, we kind of found the same thing that we'd seen in the rats, that this XCT had dropped off," Rau said. This means the protein levels can serve as a marker for when a person has healed from a brain injury. "Without having that, you don't know when it's safe for an athlete or a soldier or anyone to go back to their normal activity." Go here to read the rest: UM Brain Injury Research to Benefit Athletes, Military … Continue reading →

Brain injury research at the University of Montana has proven so promising that two professors won a $300,000 grant from the National Football League and General Electric Co. to study ways that might help speed the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries in athletes and members of the military. The Head Health Challenge announced the grants last week to 16 research projects from among more than 400 that applied. Research by UM assistant professors Sarj Patel and Tom Rau has found that traumatic brain injuries change the level of certain proteins and RNA in the brain. Tests on brain tissue samples provided by Boston University enabled Patel and Rau to identify biomarkers that were very similar to those they'd found in their research on animals. "That's part of what got us the award," Rau said. "We are far enough along with animals and with humans that we could convince them this was a worthwhile project." Under the grant, they will collect blood samples from people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury to determine if changes in the brain chemistry could be detected in the blood. "It allows us to continue studying the underlying mechanisms that cause changes in … Continue reading →

Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Posted: Monday, January 27, 2014 8:28 pm Our View: New trauma center advances brain-injury aid Traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress are the signature wounds of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Insurgents' extensive use of improvised explosive devices has made head trauma more common than ever. Through it all, military medical facilities have struggled to improve their treatment for those injuries. They've made great progress, but are still finding new ways to coordinate treatment and put the needed resources in the right place. An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety. Login using your linked account: Need an account? Create one now. Login using your linked account: kAmw625 EC2F>2 DA64:2=:DED 2?5 E96:C A2E:6?ED 2E u@CE qC288 H:== D@@? 36?67:E 7C@> >@C6 @7 E92E 4@@A6C2E:@?[ E92? … Continue reading →

Personal injury attorneys often represent clients who suffer from traumatic brain injury, or TBI. In the U.S., approximately 1.6 million people sustain a TBI each year, with 50,000 of those dying and 125,000 disabled within one year. Traumatic brain injury results from sudden trauma that disrupts brain function. The trauma can occur when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and damages brain tissue. TBI is the number one cause of mortality and disability in young adults, and the severity of the injury is determined by the nature, speed, and location of the impact. Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury Persons with mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury often exhibit the same symptoms, although there are some indications that are unique to one or the other. Someone with mild TBI may experience a loss of consciousness and remain unconscious for a few seconds or minutes. The symptoms of moderate TBI are similar but usually more serious and long lasting. Some common symptoms of both include headache, confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, and behavioral or mood changes. A person with severe TBI may remain unconscious for 24 hours or more, and frequently exhibits … Continue reading →

Tissue samples provided by a Boston brain bank helped two University of Montana researchers identify biomarkers stemming from traumatic brain injuries that closely matched their work with animals. The discovery gained the attention of the National Football League and General Electric, and it won UM research professors Sarj Patel and Tom Rau a $300,000 grant to help speed the diagnoses and treatment of TBI in athletes and members of the military. The Head Health Challenge announced the grant last week and promised more funding for research that continues to show promise. Its surprising but exciting, said Patel. Its a little different from the kinds of grants were used to applying for. GE and the NFL want to advance both treatment and diagnosis, and understand how TBI affects the brain. Theyre looking for new and exciting science. Brain samples provided by Boston University enabled Patel and Rau to identify biomarkers that were similar to those theyd witnessed in their research on animals. Early efforts have shown that a traumatic brain injury changes how the brain operates. More importantly, Patel said, it also changes the level of certain proteins and ribonucleic acids, or RNAs, present in the brain after injury. Were interested … Continue reading →

Ground was broken this week on a new center at Fort Bragg that will focus on the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. According to the latest estimates from the Defense Department, there have been hundreds of thousands of these cases diagnosed - and perhaps as many that have not yet been diagnosed. Nine of these new centers are planned for different communities in the United States. They are known as the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) Satellite Centers. Staff Sgt. Spencer Milo was diagnosed with post traumatic stress in 2011 after a suicide bomber -- the bomber was a child -- attacked his patrol in Afghanistan. Milo had a traumatic brain injury, and received treatment at one of the NICoE centers: I can personally attest to the life changing experience NICoE offers and to the immense need for a satellite center in the Ft. Bragg community. It was tough to leave my friends on base, but getting treatment was one of the best decisions I ever made. This new Intrepid Spirit Center will offer others like me an opportunity to find peace again while keeping their support systems close by. Organizers say that Fort Bragg was chosen because it … Continue reading →