Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

The rehabilitation medicine team at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in conjunction with Jackson Rehabilitation Hospital, has been awarded a federal Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) grant of more than $2 million. Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the five-year grant will enhance rehabilitation services and research aimed at meeting the special needs of individuals with brain injuries as they progress through the clinical continuum, from emergency care to rehabilitation and community reentry. The highly competitive selection process for the prestigious U.S. Department of Education funding resulted in UM/Jackson being the only Florida award recipient, making it one of just 16 sites nationally that were awarded the grant. Last year, UM/Jackson also was awarded a Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems program grant, which is directed by Diana Cardenas, MD, MHA, chair of rehabilitation medicine at the Miller School of Medicine and chief of rehabilitation at Jackson Memorial Hospital. This will make us one of a select group of rehabilitation medicine departments in the country that have both a spinal cord injury and a traumatic brain injury model system program, Cardenas said. The centers selected for this grant provide a multidisciplinary system … Continue reading →

Sales of the Infrascanner Model 2000, a ruggedized handheld brain hematoma detector, are launched at MEDICA trade fair in Dusseldorf, Germany Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) November 08, 2012 The Infrascanner Model 2000 is a handheld device that uses Near-Infrared (NIR) technology to detect intracranial bleeding, identifying those patients who would most benefit from immediate referral to a CT scan and neurosurgical intervention. In the triage of head trauma patients, the Infrascanner can identify patients most likely to have intracranial bleeding. The Infrascanner Model 2000 is based on the Infrascanner Model 1000, following the specifications of the US Marine Corps. The US Navy and Marines supported the development of the technology. The improvements in the Infrascanner Model 2000 include: The Infrascanner is designed to assist first responders and emergency room personnel in identifying life threatening brain hematomas, allowing expedient assessment of patients and potentially facilitating life-saving treatment. An estimated 1.5 million individuals seek medical treatment for head trauma in the U.S. each year, and a total of 10 million individuals seek head trauma treatment annually worldwide. Intracranial hematomas resulting from a traumatic brain injury are life-threatening and have been reported to occur as the primary injury in 40% of patients with severe … Continue reading →

Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, located at 250 Pond St., has completed extensive renovations to its 35-bed brain injury program unit on the second floor, and when it reopens Nov. 14, it will be the only dedicated brain injury in-patient unit in the metropolitan area south of Boston. Weve had a brain injury unit for about 30 years, but now it has been redone, said Jinia Drinkwater, director of patient care services, during a Nov. 5 open house at the hospital attended by, among others, Mayor Joseph Sullivan and Police Chief Russell Jenkins. The work took about six months to complete. The patients were moved to another floor while the renovations were in progress. Officials emphasized that the Neurobehavioral Brain Injury Unit is tailored to meet the needs of a specific patient population at the hospital, which opened in 1975 and is owned by FiveStar Quality Care of Newton. The unit is used for appropriate therapy as an adjunct to traditional therapy, Drinkwater said. Dr. Douglas Katz, medical director of the acquired brain injury program, stated that the renovations underscore the hospitals commitment to service patients with the most complex cases, including those who are unconscious or minimally conscious. In contrast to … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) A 30-minute brain injury education program taught in the hospital may increase children's use of bicycle helmets, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report. The researchers provided bicycle helmet safety and brain injury prevention information to 120 patients age 5 to 18 at Georgia Health Sciences Children's Medical Center and found that helmet usage increased by 72.5 percent within the first month following the program -- from only 11 children reporting wearing a bicycle helmet on every ride to 98 always wearing helmets. "This is a big step in the right direction," said Rene Hopkins, Coordinator of Safe Kids East Central, a community-based childhood injury prevention program led by GHS Children's Medical Center, and a co-author on the study in the Journal of Child Neurology. Hopkins, a nurse educator who teaches bicycle safety in communities surrounding the Children's Medical Center, understands the numbers she's up against. Only about one in four children age 4 to 15 wear a helmet when riding a bike and teen use of helmets is nearly zero, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, the CDC estimates that about 153,000 children are treated in emergency departments each year for … Continue reading →

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) November 08, 2012 Among Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are the leading causes of disability, labeled, "The signature wounds of the war on terror". As a result of their experiences in both wars, soldiers often suffer from unbearable headaches, dizziness, depression, nightmares, and violent mood swings. Dr. Harch, a leading expert in emergency medicine and hyperbaric treatment, has pioneered brain injury research for over two decades. His credentials, studies, and reputation are known worldwide. "We announce this Veteran's Day, that we have a promising treatment, utilizing scientific methods of precise dosage and protocol, that may permanently curtail TBI and PTSD symptoms, returning Veterans to a more normalized life," states Dr. Harch. Top West Point graduate, Major Ben Richards, was a promising military leader until he got injured in battle. His story of HBOT efficacy just aired on CBS WWLTV, New Orleans, filed by Eyewitness News Reporter, Meg Farris. http://www.wwltv.com/news/health/Army-major-seeing-success-with-LSU-hyperbaric-treatment-177769881.html Chad Battles, an Army E4 machine gunner specialist, says of his recent HBOT treatment with Dr. Harch, "I didn't know what to do. The VA tried, but couldn't relieve me of my sleepless nights, … Continue reading →

Brain injury attorney Michael V. Kaplen analyses recent statistics on the extent and cost of brain injury. Pleasantville, NY (PRWEB) November 07, 2012 Citing the report titled Traumatic Brain Injury: Occurrence and Mortality in New Hampshire based on 2001-2009 surveillance data issued by the Department of Health and Human Services which found that the number of people taken to emergency rooms for brain trauma almost doubled, from 6,514 to 12,306 from 2001 to 2009 and half of those patients were younger than 24, with most injuries occurring as a result of car accidents, sports, and other high-risk activities prevalent among the young, Kaplen said that the epidemic of traumatic brain injury requires immediate government attention with a renewed priority. According to the report, senior citizens are also at high risk for brain injury. Brain trauma for elder citizens is most frequently caused by falls and the number of emergency-room patients increased by approximately 150 percent for persons over 45 years of age. While there was a dramatic increase in emergency room visits, as well as a similar increase in hospital in-patient stays, the report indicates that the number of deaths from traumatic brain injury rose only slightly only in the … Continue reading →

Paul G. Harch, M.D. announces successful treatment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) for veterans suffering from debilitating concussive brain injury. New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) November 05, 2012 In September 2012, Dr. Harch's research team showed that the HBOT treatments generated improvements in depression and anxiety, PTSD, and memory that resulted in quality-of-life improvements for veterans. The study further indicated, statistically, that a "chance explanation" for the improvements in the veterans was less than "one in a quadrillion". http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/neu.2012.2608 "We announce this Veteran's Day, that we have a promising treatment, utilizing scientific methods of precise dosage and protocol, that may permanently curtail TBI and PTSD symptoms, returning veterans to a more normalized life," states Dr. Harch. As a result of their experiences in both wars, soldiers often suffer from unbearable headaches, dizziness, depression, nightmares, and violent mood swings. Dr. Harch, a leading expert in emergency medicine and hyperbaric treatment has pioneered brain injury research for over two decades. His credentials, studies, and reputation are known worldwide. For more on Dr. Harch, visit http://www.HBOT.com. The Department of Defense (DoD), the Veteran's Administration (VA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently pledged $100 million for … Continue reading →

Dale Wilson / Getty Images High blood pressure may lead to brain injury and to premature brain aging, even among people with only slightly elevated readings. Brain scientists from the Alzheimers Disease Center at the University of California, Davis, are studying the links between systolic blood pressure (thats the first number in a reading, and measures the pressure of the blood on the vessels as the heart beats) and various indicators of brain injury among middle-aged adults. In their latest work, published in Lancet Neurology, the scientists report a subtle, negative effect of high systolic blood pressure on the structural integrity of the brains white matter, and a similar negative effect of elevated blood pressure on the volume of grey matter in the brain. (MORE: A Salty Diet is a Recipe for High Blood Pressure in Kids Too) That means that by age 40, the brain of a person with hypertension or clinically high blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg, looks 7.2 years older than the brain of a person with normal blood pressure, according to indicators of brain function and anatomy that the researchers measured. And its not just those with clinical hypertension who have to worry; the team … Continue reading →

Injured Cliviger soldier spared jail over raid on aunt's farmhouse 10:00pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News AN ex-soldier left with a brain injury after being blown up in Afghanistan was spared jail for a 'premeditated' raid on his aunt and uncle's Rossendale farmhouse, in which he took a 5,500 haul. Ashley Clark lost friends and suffered life-changing injuries as a teenager, when he and comrades were the victims of a roadside bomb in August 2010. He was flown back to hospital in Birmingham for treatment, with his future in the army in tatters. Clark may yet have to have an operation to remove a cyst from over the brain injury, Burnley Crown Court heard. The hearing was told how Clark stole cash and a 5,000 Rolex watch from the Bacup farmhouse home of Mr and Mrs Collin Collier, knowing they kept valuables in a secret drawer in the property. Clark also helped himself to 300 cash from the purse of his aunt, said to have been keeping for a headstone, and 173 in pound coins from a jar, while the family was out celebrating a birthday. Clark, a former member of the Duke of Lancaster's infantry, who had left … Continue reading →

Wife, mother and author Lee Woodruff came to McGuire Hall last Tuesday where she told of her husbands, ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff, traumatic brain injury and the struggles and triumphs that followed the dramatic event in her life. He was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq, five weeks after he had started working a dual-anchor position, where one reporter is in the field and one is in the studio. Lee emphasized that, because he sustained this injury, Bob, being a public figure, was able to become a pulpit to tell people about [brain injuries]. Lee Woodruff explained that what happened to her husband is something that happens to soldiers each day. She said that his type of injury can often be seen as invisible, and that outsiders may not realize the trauma the soldier or bystander may have experienced. Lee often visits military hospitals to show how dedicated she is to those individuals suffering a brain injury from overseas. Lee and Bob had been married for 18 years when the explosion happened. She said, I believe there was a hand of God there that made sure the bomb didnt hit further in. She explained that everyone in the family … Continue reading →