Treatment Options for Victims of Traumatic Brain Injury

Author: Peter Kent

A <a href="http://brain-injury.legalview.com/">

traumatic brain injury</a> can be a life-altering

or evening life-threatening event. Understanding

the treatment options that are available to those

who have suffered a <a href="http://brain-injury.

legalview.com/">traumatic brain injury</a> will

enable better recovery overall.

There are many different kinds of treatment available for patients of

Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI). A TBI is any type of blunt or piercing trauma to

the head that causes brain damage to an individual. Initial treatment of a

TBI stabilizes the individual immediately following the injury. Next,

rehabilitative care center treatment helps restore the patient's ability to

function in their daily life. If the TBI is more serious, acute treatment may

be necessary, as this type of treatment is aimed at minimizing secondary

injury and negative effects on a patient's life support system. Finally,

surgical treatment may be used to prevent secondary injury by helping to

maintain blood flow and oxygen to the brain and minimize swelling and

pressure.

Initial treatment of a traumatic brain injury begins upon arrival to a

hospital. At the hospital, a team of medical professionals, generally led by

a trauma surgeon, will meet the patient. The trauma surgeon, acting as the

leader, will direct the team. The trauma staff will initiate resuscitation

procedures, monitor the body's vital functions, respond to potential life-

threatening changes and coordinate care with other hospital personnel.

The patient may need surgery for injuries. In addition to the trauma surgeon,

the surgical staff could include the neurosurgeon, a physician who performs

brain and spinal cord surgery; an orthopedic surgeon, a physician who works

with broken bones such as fractures of the arms and legs or the spinal column;

 or a general surgeon. In addition to the physicians that are assessing the

patient and their response to treatment, the trauma nurse will b caring for

the patient: providing resuscitation, stabilization and supportive care. The

nurses have the responsibility to coordinate and provide communication within

the hospital and with the family.

Once stabilized, the brain-injured patient will be transferred to a

specialized trauma care unit. Care will be provided by the critical care

nursing staff. The nursing staff's responsibility is to assess, monitor and

interpret vital physiologic or body functions, notify the physician of

changes, repeat assessments at regular intervals and provide information for

the family. The patient will be monitored for signs of infection and pain.

Other key staff also plays a role on the specialized trauma care unit. The

respiratory therapist helps with the initial resuscitation efforts, provides

oxygen therapy, configures the ventilator settings and assesses proper

equipment functioning. In addition, the respiratory therapist monitors the

patient's breathing: looking at blood gas results and listening to the lungs.

In most trauma centers, a psychologist familiar with acute trauma is part of

the team. Using crisis intervention techniques, the psychologist will assist

the patient and family in decision-making during a crisis. The psychologist

provides counseling and education about the injury, as well as assesses the

cognition of the patient. A trauma social worker will also work with the

family after the injury. Like the psychologist, the social worker will

prepare the family emotionally and physically to face the ill or disabled

patient. The trauma social worker will assist the family in making plans for

the duration of recovery, especially if the recovery progresses slowly. The

trauma social worker will encourage the family to consider role and

responsibility changes while the patient is ill, including changes in

finances and family support, and will also assist the family in discharge

planning and most patients proceed to a rehabilitation facility.

The families of traumatic brain injury victims often have many questions when

their loved one is transferred to a rehabilitative care center. Similar to

the acute care facility, the brain injury patient will be cared for by a team

of professionals who specialize in the care of trauma victims. Their goals

are to stabilize the medical and rehabilitation issues related to brain

injury and the other injuries, while also preventing secondary complications.

Complications could include pressure sores, pneumonia and contractures. At a

rehabilitation facility, the staff will also work to help the patient restore

lost functional abilities. Functional changes could include limited ability

to move, use the bathroom, talk, eat and think. Each day, the patient will

participate in therapy. Initially, the patient may require staff assistance

for even the simplest activities: brushing teeth, getting out of bed and

eating. The patient also may require staff for safety because there is a risk

of falling, eloping (trying to get out of the hospital to go home) or getting

hurt. The patient may be confused and forgetful.

In some cases patients do not proceed to rehabilitative services because the

injury is too severe. In these cases patients receive acute treatment and in

some cases surgical treatment, but rehabilitative treatment may not be an

option, as some TBI cases are too severe to allow for rehabilitation. In the

event of any traumatic brain injury, once the TBI victim has received the

proper course of medical treatment, the injured person or their family may

wish to seek the counsel of on or more traumatic brain injury lawyers. Brain

injury lawyers have the experience and information patients and their

families need to know, concerning a patient's rights and the due compensation

they need receive for expenses such as future medical care, current

medications and treatment, and pain and suffering. If necessary, the patient

can use one or more brain injury attorneys to look into filing a traumatic

brain injury lawsuit.

Peter Kent is the best-selling author of 50 books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

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