Blog: Brain Injury

Routine procedure results in 13-year-old’s vegetative state

Dec 20, 2013

No medical procedure is without risks and even the most so-called routine procedures can result in a patient suffering harm and painful injuries. An extreme and heart wrenching example of how even seemingly routine procedures can go wrong, involves the case of a 13-year-old girl who doctors say is now brain dead after undergoing surgery to remove her tonsils. An investigation into the medical mishap is still underway, but the girl's family contends she began...

Apparent concussion hastens former pilot’s Alzheimer’s decline

Dec 3, 2013

Decades ago, cancer was often euphemistically referred to as the "Big C." People tended to step delicately around the topic because a diagnosis of cancer often represented a death sentence for the person who received it. Science has made amazing progress in the fight against the various forms of cancer. But these days, a new threat seems to be taking the stage in the form of Alzheimer's. It hasn't come to be called the "Big...

Concussion class action lawsuit filed against NHL

Nov 29, 2013

With the recent $765 million brain injury settlement against the National Football League, many likely figured it was only a matter of time until a similar lawsuit was filed by former professional hockey players against the National Hockey League. Earlier this week that happened. A class action lawsuit was filed by several former professional players alleging that the NHL did not take steps to protect its players from brain injuries such as concussions. Since the...

Pennsylvania man’s brain injury forever changes his life

Nov 16, 2013

When someone suffers a brain injury, the outcome of the injury is often hard to predict. In some cases the injured individual returns to normal within a short amount of time. Other times, the life of the person who suffered the injury is never the same. A Pennsylvania man, who suffered a serious brain injury in an industrial accident several years ago, knows this all too well. Following the incident, which involved a two-ton steel...

Falls are the biggest cause of TBI, elderly most often affected

Nov 1, 2013

Most people are aware of how devastating a traumatic brain injury can be for the person who experiences it as well as his or her family. These injuries can occur as a result of many different situations. One of the first things that likely comes to mind when one hears that someone has suffered a TBI is that it occurred in a motor vehicle accident. While this is a way that TBIs are inflicted, many...

Symptoms of a concussion may not be obvious initially

Sep 20, 2013

Residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania likely often hear the words brain injury. Throughout the state, residents suffer these injuries on a regular basis. While a brain injury can take multiple forms. One that is likely commonly suffered is a concussion. Though concussions happen all too often, it is likely that many are wondering what the symptoms and possible outcomes of a concussion are. Concussions should be taken seriously since they could lead to serious problems with...

Pittsburgh researchers conducting study into child brain injuries

Aug 12, 2013

Brain injuries can happen to individuals of all ages as a result of many different things. Sometimes car accidents are to blame. Other times bicycle accidents or falls result in a brain injury. In the case of children it is possible that child abuse or sports could be the cause as well. While traumatic brain injuries can seriously impact the way someone lives their life, in the worst cases death is the end result. While...

Routine procedure results in 19-year-old’s severe brain injury

May 29, 2013

In an effort to properly diagnose patients, doctors often rely upon so-called routine procedures. One such procedure that is readily used to aid in the diagnosis of stomach ailments, is an endoscopy. When an endoscopy is administered, doctors snake a small camera down the throat of a patient in order to view possible obstructions or problems. Although considered routine, the procedure requires patients to be sedated. The parents of a 19-year-old girl recently filed a...

Concussions may have contributed to Ryan Freel’s suicide

Dec 27, 2012

This week the baseball community is mourning the suicide of Cincinnati Reds utility man Ryan Freel who was found dead in his apartment. His suicide brings up questions of the more than 10 concussions he sustained throughout his career and if these brain injuries may have contributed to him taking his own life. Freel, who was 36, was a popular player due to his reckless style. Fans loved his no fear attitude toward the game,...

Man awarded $1.4 million after doctor found negligent

Nov 20, 2012

It was just a cut. Deep enough, however, to warrant stitches and so the 17-year-old young man went to the emergency room. Upon his arrival, an emergency room doctor gave the man an injection to numb the impacted area. The young man was then lead to a sink of running water where the doctor asked him to run his hand underneath to clean the cut. This was the last memory the young man had before...