Category: catastrophic injuries

Traumatic injuries such as amputation can impact your life in numerous ways. Physical pain, emotional trauma and mental strife might take years to learn how to effectively manage.

Having a basic knowledge of amputation might help you identify your next steps. Setting realistic goals for your recovery can give you the opportunity to live a happy and successful life despite your condition.

Get educated

A situation so severe, that you end up needing an amputation, can leave you feeling fearful of the future. Losing a limb might feel like the end of your life as you once envisioned. According to John Hopkins Medicine, traumatic injuries cause nearly 50% of amputations. Because your situation is entirely unexpected, you may feel lost about what to do next.

Learning about your condition can improve your understanding of its impact on your body, health, and life. Staying educated might improve your outlook and your resolve to heal. You can also help others learn more about amputation so they too, can help you reach your goals.

Seek support

Look for a support group. Connect with individuals who might have undergone a similar procedure. Read about amputees who have successfully accomplished their goals. When you rely on the encouragement of others, set goals for your recovery and your future.

A traumatic injury can introduce significant challenges from a financial, physical and mental standpoint. If your condition results because of someone’s negligence, taking legal action might alleviate some of the damages you have to deal with. With the right strategy and a strong legal team, you may have the chance to recover compensatory damages.

After a serious personal injury, you suffered severe burns. Your doctor shared that you may need burn surgery, and you want to educate yourself on what to expect.

The University of Michigan Health explains the fundamentals of burn surgery. To build your personal injury case, understand your treatment options and how they work.

Categories of burn surgery

If you need surgery to treat a burn, you undergo either reconstructive surgery or acute surgery. Trauma surgeons perform acute burn care as quickly as possible after the injury. Depending on the severity of the burn, the patient and medical team may need to consult with a plastic surgeon.

After healing from the initial damage, a burn victim may need reconstructive surgery. Performed by plastic surgeons, reconstructive surgery addresses burn scars and improves functionality. The patient may undergo operative or non-operative treatment.

Reconstructive burn treatment options

With non-operative burn treatments, the person may receive pressure garments, scar massages or alternate topical treatments. Most surgical procedures involve scar release treatments. A surgeon releases tight scar tissue and closes the open area with skin rearrangement, skin grafts or skin donor flaps. A doctor may recommend tissue expansion instead of skin grafting.

If a person wants or needs reconstructive burn treatment, she or he works with a plastic surgeon to discuss desired results. The surgeon helps the person understand what to expect from the procedure and its advantages.

Burn treatments may help you on the road to recovery. By knowing how treatments work, you better understand how to protect your legal rights and get the compensation you deserve.

A traumatic brain injury may cause a person to lose consciousness. A coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. External forces are not sufficient to rouse a person from a coma.

Different coma patients may display varying levels of consciousness. According to Brainline, the Glasgow Coma Scale is a tool that measures brain functions to determine what a person’s level of consciousness is.

What does the Glasgow Coma Scale measure?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Glasgow Coma Scale measures three different functions: eye opening, motor function and verbal response. Different responses within each of these categories have numerical values from one to five assigned to them. The greater the patient’s level of consciousness, the greater the number of points he or she gains.

Upon assessing the patient, the person administering the test adds up the values. A higher GCS score indicates a mild head injury at worst, while a lower score indicates a severe head injury resulting in a profound coma.

What are the limitations of the GCS?

Only someone who has received proper training can test someone according to the GCS. The GCS cannot reliably assess head injury in children because they do not have consistent language skills. However, there is a modification called the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale that accounts for this discrepancy. There are factors unrelated to brain function that may alter consciousness level and affect GCS accuracy.

For all its limitations, the GCS is a useful tool for assessing the severity of a brain injury. One particular advantage is that it is possible to perform it in the field because it does not require special medical equipment.

While there are signs one can look for to detect a traumatic brain injury, receiving a proper diagnosis can take time and delay treatment. A person may have to spend hours in the ER before receiving an MRI or CT scan to receive a diagnosis. As a result, the delayed treatment can lead to future negative consequences.

New time-saving product

The FDA recently approved a test that can help with the diagnosis and early treatment of a traumatic brain injury. The i-STAT™ Alinity™ rapid test will reduce the wait time of the diagnosis to about 15 minutes. Conducted in the emergency room, the test requires a blood sample of the injured person.

The rapid test will allow for those who test positively for TBI to be first in line for scans and treatment. Diagnosing TBIs quickly will lead to a faster response on the part of physicians to help the injured person recover.

Impact of TBI

Since anyone can receive a severe TBI as a result of automobile, work, and even sport accidents, residents of Tennessee may benefit from this new technology in the near future. However, even with the rapid test, TBIs still come with a lengthy recovery period. This can lead to incurring additional medical bills, lost wages, as well as potential mental or physical disabilities later in life.

For those who were injured at no fault of their own, compensation may be available to them. An experienced attorney can assist with filing a lawsuit to help the injured person get compensated.

Being involved in a serious accident is a scary and life-altering situation. In some cases, a victim of an accident will suffer such severe injuries that he or she will require long-term medical care to address the ongoing medical issues he or she has endured. With regards to a traumatic brain injury, victims in Tennessee and elsewhere could experience serious issues when it comes to their cognitive functions. Thus, this catastrophic injury could impact a victim not only in the short-term but also long-term as well.

Loss of cognitive function

A traumatic brain injury could cause major disruptions for a victim. This is not only impacts how a person physically feels but also how he or she lives their lives. Having cognitive disruptions could impact the victim in the short-term and even in the long-term.

A recent study explored why individuals of a TBI suffer a temporary severe loss of cognitive function. What was found was that the injury to the brain can cause a chain reaction in the brain. As a result, it could stop the activity across a vast network of neural circuits. The reason for this is that the healthy or unaffected brain cells can sense that there has been an injury. This results in the radical change of function.

Recovery of cognitive function following a TBI

While the loss of cognitive functions following a TBI can be a scary and overwhelming situation to deal with, it may not be permanent or remain as severe long-term. According to the study, it was determined that this chain reaction allows for the nervous system to pause after a TBI. This allows for the cells to assess whether they are healthy or not, activating steps to destroy them, help them recover or deem them healthy.

The aftermath of a serious accident could significantly impact the life of the victim. A serious injury will require much medical treatment; however, it could also impact one’s ability to lead a normal life and their quality of life. Thus, it is important that victims and their loved ones explore their rights and options when it comes to addressing the injuries and harms suffered as a result of an accident. Oftentimes, a personal injury action is filed as a means to recover compensation for these losses. This action also helps hold a negligent party accountable for these losses and the accident that caused them.

Many residents of Knoxville probably just know that spinal cord injuries are serious affairs.

One’s spinal cord, which runs down the back, serves as the main communication channel between the brain and the rest of the body. When it gets damaged, the brain can no longer efficiently send signals below the site of the injury.

At the very worst, a victim will suffer complete paralysis from the neck down and will likely require constant medical care.

Others who suffer what doctors call an incomplete spinal cord injury may have some ability to move, but they still will likely suffer some severe complications, including infertility, incontinence and constant pain.

Spinal cord injuries happen for a number of reasons. Motor vehicle accidents account for almost half of all new spine injuries annually, making them the most common cause of spinal cord injuries.

Falling is another common cause of spinal cord injuries, accounting for over 30% of new injuries each year. Among those over 65, falling is the most common cause of spinal cord injuries.

Other common reasons for spinal cord injuries include violence, including wounds from gunshots or knives. Sports and recreational activities also commonly cause spinal cord injuries.

The sad thing is that so many of these severe injuries are completely preventable. For example, the negligence of a drunk, careless or distracted driver too frequently leave innocent people paralyzed.

Likewise, falls often happen because of the negligence of a property owner, a caregiver or someone else who could have prevented a fall by exercising a little caution.

Victims of spinal cord injuries may have the legal option to pursue compensation for their losses.

Those individuals who suffer catastrophic injuries have a hard road ahead of them. The physical pain and limitations can be stressful and frustrating, making even the simplest of everyday tasks nearly impossible. In addition, these individuals also often have to contend with enormous medical expenses and costs related to rehabilitation and sometimes in-home care. When looked at in its totality, then, catastrophic injuries, such as those that affect the brain and spinal cord, can be devastating, leaving victims fearful of what the future looks like for them.

Something that may give these victims hope is the fact that medical advances are constantly being made in fields that treat brain and spinal cord injuries. For example, one product being tested in a trial phase is a headset that picks up electrical impulses from the brain and transmits them to the hand. Therefore, the product can help stimulate movement in individuals who have been paralyzed or suffer incomplete motor function.

There are likely similar products in the works, which could be big news for spinal cord injury sufferers. To start, these products and their advancements may lead to meaningful movement that can allow these individuals to reclaim massive parts of their lives. Additionally, since the headset discussed above can be created with a 3D printer, victims might have the option of recovering from their injury at home rather than being stuck in a hospital. This can significantly reduce costs and increase comfort. These kinds of products will be portable, too, unlike bulky medical equipment found in hospitals, meaning that users can exercise more freedom and limit the effects of their condition.

While these products may not be widely available yet, it’s really only a matter of time before they are in some form or fashion. But in the meantime, there are steps these victims can take to try to bring themselves comfort and ease the pain of their financial, emotional, and physical losses. One way is to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against those responsible for their injury. To learn more about how to best go about doing that, victims can reach out to a legal advocate who knows how to build a case that seeks to impose liability and recover compensation.