Posts Tagged ‘ TBI ’

Why your Kid needs a Bike Helmet: Brain Injuries by-the-numbers

March 24th, 2010. By AbiK

Brain Injury Reality Check #1: 1.4 million people get a blow or jolt to the head—or a penetrating head injury—that disrupts the function of the brain each year.

And that’s only the count of those who actually go and receive medical care for a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

So it’s that time of year when the bikes, scooters and skateboards come out of hiding and hit the asphalt, concrete and, in many places, the potholes that come along with it. And it’s all too easy as a parent to be filled with sheer bliss as you watch the kids get out of the house and out of your hair only to realize that you didn’t dig the bike helmets out from the garage or shed…so off go the kids sans protective gear—too impatient to care about safety.

Brain Injury Reality Check #2: Of those 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) for which the victims seek medical attention, 50,000 die.

Brain Injury Reality Check #3: Of those 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries for which the victims seek medical attention, 235,000 are hospitalized.

It doesn’t seem like such a big deal at the time—to let your kid go without his helmet just this one time. You feel a twinge of guilt, but heck, WE all rode our bikes without helmets when we were little, right? And we’re fine, right?

Brain Injury Reality Check #4: The leading cause of TBI is falls—falls account for 28% of all traumatic brain injuries.

And the two age groups at highest risk for TBI? Infants or toddlers ages 0 to 4 (think about the Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Brain Injury, TBI
Posted in Accidents, Emerging Issues, Personal Injury | 3140No Comments »2010-03-24+16%3A53%3A55AbiK

US Troops: The Bomb was Real–maybe the Injury was, too

March 3rd, 2010. By AbiK

roadside bomb US Troops: The Bomb was Real maybe the Injury was, too Ever wonder what happens to soldiers who’ve been targeted in a roadside bombing in Iraq or Afghanistan?—and by that question I’m referring to those soldiers who live. Apparently not much happens unless there is an obvious injury. Or so one would be led to believe given the news today of a new medical policy coming from the Pentagon.

As reported at cnn.com, US troops who’ve been targeted in roadside bombings will now be pulled from duty for a 24-hour period to be monitored for headaches, memory or concentration loss, ringing ears and blurred vision—the signs of a concussion. If the soldier scores low for any of these symptoms he or she will be kept out of combat until their condition improves.

So why is this new medical policy—expected to be signed into effect within two to three weeks—happening now? Well, for one thing, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that’s been sustained due to simply being near (definition of “near” is withing 55 yards of a blast according to the cnn.com article) a roadside bomb can go undetected only to surface months or years later. (Sound familiar to anyone with PTSD? or Gulf War Syndrome?)

If you think there aren’t too many soldiers affected by roadside bombs, think again. According to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force statistics, around 80 roadside bombs have exploded EACH WEEK in Afghanistan since June, 2009. Additionally, a 2008 RAND study indicated that as many as 300,000 US troops who’ve returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan could be suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Pentagon officials estimate the number of troops that could be removed from duty under the new policy is about two percent.

Tags: Afghanistan, Brain Injury, Iraq, PTSD, TBI, Veterans
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Veterans | 2875No Comments »2010-03-03+17%3A26%3A25AbiK