Brain Injury Lawyer - New York

Brain Injury Association of America webinars

The Brain Injury Association of America has announced the following webinars:

 

April 23, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, David Strauss Memorial Lecture: Four Ways of Being in the World of Brain Injury 

 

Sheldon Herring, PhD, will present on the different roles and dynamics involved in brain injury. 

Registration ends April 19, 2013 at 5 p.m. ET.

May 8, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, Caregiver Education Series: Using Computers to Assist in Cognitive Rehabilitation

Dr. Gerald Voelbel will present an overview of the best practices in cognitive rehabilitation and how computer based training programs can help cognitive recovery after brain injury.

Registration ends May 6, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET.

May 30, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, David Strauss Memorial Lecture: Neurotechnology

Randolph Nudo, PhD, will discuss neurotechology research that holds promise for people with brain injury.

Registration ends May 28, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET.

June 13, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, David Strauss Memorial Lecture: The Rehabilitation Continuum

Nicole Grandjean, PhD, will guide the audience through every stage of treatment in brain injury rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on the post-acute setting.

Registration ends June 11, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET.

June 26, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, Business of Brain Injury Webinar: Using the Baldrige Leadership Award Criteria at Special Tree

Lynn Slevin will describe how Special Tree has incorporated principles of the Baldrige evaluation criteria in its systems for employees and clients.

Registration ends June 24, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET.

July 18, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, Mitch Rosenthal Memorial Webinar: Sexual Functioning after TBI

Angelle Sander, PhD, will discuss current research on sexuality following TBI.

Registration ends July 16, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET. 

Click here for further information on these web broadcasts,

July 31, 2013, 3 p.m. ET, Caregiver Education Series: Getting Things Done with Smart Apps

Michelle Ranae Wild will explore a number of productivity apps available to help after brain injury.

Registration ends July 29, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET. 

American Academy of Neurology issues important updated sports concussion management guidelines

The American Academy of Neurology has issued important revisions to its guidelines for sports concussions in the Journal Neurology.

 

The academy has attempted to answer the following questions:

 

1. For athletes, what factors increase or decrease concussion risk?

2a. For athletes suspected of having sustained concussion, what diagnostic tools are useful in identifying those with concussion?

2b. For athletes suspected of having sustained concussion, what diagnostic tools are useful in identifying those at increased risk for severe or prolonged early impairments, neurologic catastrophe, or chronic neurobehavioral
impairment?

3. For athletes with concussion, what clinical factors are useful in identifying those at increased risk for severe or prolonged early post- concussion impairments, neurologic catastrophe, recurrent concussions, or
chronic neurobehavioral impairment?

4. For athletes with concussion, what interventions enhance recovery, reduce the risk of recurrent concussion, or diminish long-term sequelae?

Here is the summary of their results:

“Specific risk factors can increase or decrease concussion risk. Diagnostic tools to help identify individuals with concussion include graded symptom checklists, the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, neuropsychological assessments, and the Balance Error Scoring System. Ongoing clinical symptoms, concussion history, and younger age identify those at risk for post-concussion impairments.  Risk factors for recurrent concussion include history of multiple concussions, particularly within 10 days after initial concussion. Risk factors for chronic neurobehavioral impairment include concussion exposure and APOE e4 genotype. Data are insufficient to show that any intervention enhances recovery or diminishes long-term  sequelae post-concussion.”

 The bottom line?  All concussions are different and each player suspected of having a concussion needs to be
individually evaluated with a combination of resources including neuropsychological assessment and medical evaluation.  Concussions are serious injuries and when in doubt, keep them out!

New research to develop novel traumatic brain injury imaging technology

Traumatic brain injury research received an important boost this week as a result of a $60 million joint initiative between the National Football League (NFL) and General Electric (GE) whose aim is to develop novel imaging technology and other tech-based approaches to aid in the prevention, detection and management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussions.

The theme of a video shown at a joint news conference was “the better we understand the brain, the better we can protect it”.

Hopefully the research that is developed will enable scientists to better understand the effects of trauma on the brain and brain functioning.

According to NFL Commissioner, Goodell, the primary aim of the initiative is “better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of brain injury”. He admitted that “there is a lot more to do” and that any way to “speed up” the process to “develop new technology to better protect the brain” would be in the best interests of all players– but also younger players in high school, college and those much younger”.

The project will proceed in two parts. The first part will involve a $40 million research project led by GE to better diagnose mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to predict the outcomes over time. The second phase will focus on materials and structural design of equipment (helmets) to protect the brain from impacts.

Seeking Comments on the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Protocol

Between March 7 and April 7, the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Guideline Workgroup is seeking public comment on a guideline protocol on diagnosing and treating pediatric mild TBI (among patients age 18 and under).

Comprised of leading experts in the field of TBI, CDC Injury Center’s Board of Scientific Counselors established the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Workgroup to create a clinical guideline for health care professionals working in the acute care and primary care setting.

The Workgroup is using the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) guideline development process to develop a multidisciplinary, evidence-based guideline. You can access the guideline protocol for review and comment   by clicking here 

Public comment on the guideline protocol is one of the first steps in the evidence-based clinical guideline development process. To learn more about the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Workgroup and next steps for the project, click here 

More proof that “mild” traumatic brain injury is anything but mild

Scientific evidence is being to accumulate to establish the permanent consequences of mild traumatic brain damage, long referred to as the “invisible injury”.

In research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health at the Human Brain Lab located at the Medical College of Gerogia, scientists have been able to capture in real time, the damage to brain cells that takes place following a concussion. 

The research, published in the journal Brain reports proof of the swelling of blood vessels resulting in reduced flow of blood and resulting nourishment to nerve cells following mild brain trauma.  The secondary damage to the nerve cell takes place in the hours following initial injury.

The neuroscientists say they watched as the astrocytes, the small cells that supply neurons with nutrients and help maintain normal electrical activity and blood flow, swell and smoother the neurons.  Sergei Kirov, lab director is quoted as saying, “we saw every branch, every small wire and how it gets cut. We saw how it destroys networks.  It really goes downhill. It’s the first time we know of that someone has watched this type of minor injury play out over the course of 24 hours.”   

Hopefully this work will lead to better treatment in the immediate hours following the initial brain trauma and ways to protect nerve cells and brain function.

New government sponsored concussion study reported

Reuters News Service reports that a new sports concussion study has been initated by the United State Institute of Medicine, which is part of the National Academies of Science to investigate sports related concussions among our nation’s youth.  The study will look at concussions in children from elementary school through early adulthood and will also include military personnel and their dependants.

The government study will review concussions and risk factors pertaining to this type of brain injury.

The study is being headed by Robert Graham, a public health expert at the George Washington University School of Public Health.  According to Reuters, the study panel will likely submit its findings to the Institute of Medicine in the middle of the summer, with publication expected in late 2013.

Sponsors of the study include the Department of Defense, the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. The panel will also examine studies being done by the CDC and the American Academy of Neurology.

Web site to track concussions in the NFL

ESPN has partnered with FRONTLINE to track concussions and other head injuries sustained by football players in the NFL.  They have created a web site to “track which players are being removed from games after a hit to the head — and which players are not — and to keep score of how long they are kept from the field following a concussion.”

There  will be considerable difficulties in tracking all of the brain injuries sustained by these players since there is no uniform way that exists among all teams for reporting concussions and head injuries or brain trauma. But, the project is a very worthwhile effort to get some meaningful information on something that the NFL likes to keep quiet about.

More information can be obtained from the concussion watch web site.

 

Mild brain injury in children may cause structural changes to the brain

A brain injury in a child, even what physicians call a “mild traumatic brain injury”, may have lifetime affects according to according to a study published in the December 12 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

The researchers studied the brains of children who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury or a concussion using an advanced MRI imaging technique known as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Using this sophisticated imaging technology, the study found that even following a mild tbi, children exhibit structural changes to the white matter of the brain which can lead to permanent disability. The white matter nerve tracks in the brain carry nerve signals from one region of the brain to another.

Importantly, the study found these changes remain within the brain even though the child may seem symptom free of the typical post- concussion symptoms of headache, nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light or sound and ringing in the ears.

An insidious conspiracy by the NFL and its insurers to deny brain injured players access to the courthouse

An article in yesterday’s New York Times, Concussion Liability Costs May Rise and Not Just for NFL, discusses the ongoing dispute between the NFL and its insurance companies concerning insurance coverage issues for the law suits commenced charging the league with fraud in their concealment of the dangers of concussions to their players.  The article also discusses the anticipated increased costs for insurance coverage faced by school districts faced with concussion related claims.

The sad truth is that insurers, teams, school districts will all use this as an excuse to seek limitations on liability and hold school sports programs hostage.  Those who cause injuries to innocent victims and insurers always cry foul when the day of reckoning approaches.

Player safety either in the NFL or in school districts can never be held hostage by this sort of argument. This is an insidious conspiracy to do away with these cases and obtain legislative immunity to purportedly "save" school districts from a "flood of litigation"  I never saw anyone drown when the “flood gates of litigation” are opened.  This is typical rhetoric to avoid legal liability.

 All players deserve safety and full access to the courthouse to protect their rights when teams, school districts and the league ignore their legal obligations.

 You can read the full New York Time story by clicking here.

It is also a calculated business decision by insurance carriers to fashion an exit strategy for them to avoid paying out on legitimate claims, that until this time they have avoided.  Now, with the burgeoning law suits they might have to pay out on insurance claims that have never been made before, although they have been collecting premiums for years.  Similar to homeowner’s insurance companies that are trying to find ways to limit their Hurricane Sandy exposure.

A portable device to detect traumatic brain injury and concussions?

Can a portable diagnostic device be developed to quickly determine a traumatic brain injury?  According to researchers in Singapore at Singapore's Institute of Microelectronics (IME), such a device is being developed to diagnose concussions and forms of brain trauma.

The researchers are working to produce a device that is fully-integrated and has automated biosensors. All it will take is a drop of blood to detect up to three biomarkers released by the brain after sustaining brain damage.

These biomarker readings will be displayed on an easy-to-read screen.  An indicator will alert the caregivers on the severity of the injury and enable them to prevent the condition from worsening.  Since the device is portable, it can be used on sports fields and at accident scenes to determine whether further evaluation or care is required.

Click here to read the full story.