Closed head injury and SPECT scan testing

A victim of a closed head injury or a traumatic brain injury is not only treated by a host of physicians belonging to various specialties, but the victim also has to undergo a series of tests to help with the diagnosis and treatment. One such compulsory testing is the SPECT scan test (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, a kind of nuclear imaging test displaying the pattern of blood flow to the various tissues and organs of the brain).

Depending on the severity of the consequences, such accident compensations can run into thousands.

Essentially, the SPECT scan test involves the deployment of two technologies – the computed tomography (CT) and the use of a radioactive material called the tracer. It is the tracer which helps the physician to track the blood flow to tissues and organs.

How is this test done? It starts with an injection of a chemical to the victim of a closed brain injury. This special chemical disperses gamma rays which the scanner can easily detect. In a way this test is not the same as a PET scan where the chemical is absorbed by the blood and the tissues. In the SPECT scan, the chemical remains in the blood stream helping to track the blood flow within the body. This type of scan is also less expensive and more easily available than even the high resolution PET scan.

A computer interprets the information gathered from the gamma arrays into the 2-dimensional images, which subsequently takes the form of 3-D images of the brain.

Considered to be more appropriate and sensitive than MRI or CT scans, the SPECT scan enables in the detection of speed of blood flow through arteries and veins within the injured brain. This type of scan is also frequently done for any evaluation study of medically uncontrolled seizures that demand surgical intervention. In such situations the SPECT scan provides the flexibility of scanning the brain in between (interictal) as well as during a seizure (ictal). This helps to identify the blood flow to areas of the brain from where the seizures begin.

All of us are aware of the seriousness of a closed brain injury. While the main focus is on the treatment of the condition, the one question that keep bothering us is what could be the short and long term implications when an individual has suffered a traumatic brain injury or TBI?

There is no definitive answer to this question. The reason for this is that it is difficult to assess the condition as well as predict its development and final outcome soon after the injury has happened. Closed brain injuries can be varied in type and severity and since the injuries sustained in the brain are usually complicated by nature, it may take months or even years to predict what is going to happen to the future of the patient concerned.

Any traumatic brain injury, irrespective of its severity, entails significant outflow of money, both in terms of diagnosis as well as treatment and rehabilitation of the patient. To add to this, chances are that the victim may not ever be able to pursue his professional life, remaining unemployable for the rest of his life. The most important point to note in such a situation is that the trauma could have been the result of someone’s negligence or carelessness, where the sufferer is a mere victim of circumstances.

To arrive at a pragmatic prognosis in the case of a closed brain injury, doctors study some important indicators which help them to come to a realistic conclusion. These include the duration and severity of the coma as well as the precise location and the dimension of the trauma sustained.

The duration during which a victim of a closed injury lies in a state of coma is a definite indicator of an expected post-trauma amnesia as well as the time he would require to recover. The first few hours after the accident are critical for the doctors, as this is the time when they assess the severity of the impact to the brain.

If the closed brain injury is mild in nature, then the victim can suffer temporary coma and amnesia for a few seconds stretching to a few minutes at the most.  Recovery in such cases usually stabilizes within a few days or weeks. On the other hand if the victim goes into a comatose state that lasts some weeks,  it is expected that the amnesia resulting from the trauma can also last several months with recovery stabilizing after months or even years.

To arrive at any conclusion regarding the long term implications of a traumatic brain injury, doctors depend on the location and dimension of the trauma site. Since there are specific areas of the brain that are responsible for the various cognitive and behavioral faculties, injury to such areas can be a reliable indicator of the kind and degree of impairment that the patient is likely to suffer.

In conclusion, it can be said that the recovery time from a traumatic brain injury is often directly linked to the severity of the trauma. The first step in the treatment of a TBI, immediately after the accident, is to reduce swelling, since this can reactivate the brain cells to resume functioning to some extent. The portions of the brain which have suffered permanent damage are to an extent helped by areas of the brain which have been left untouched by the trauma.

An important part of every patient’s traumatic brain injury recovery “team” is the Case Manager.   A case manager usually has a nursing background or is a counselor experienced with vocational rehabilitation programs.

A case manager is particularly helpful when the condition is a traumatic brain injury or a severe injury to the spinal cord. Here are some responsibilities of a case manager:

• Coordinating the overall treatment with multiple medical specialties including doctors and clinics.
• Locating the best doctors according to the victims’ specific needs.
• Scheduling doctors’ visits.
• Assistance with home renovation after the victim is released from the hospital, including building of ramps, procuring hospital beds, etc.
• Assisting the victim during recovery phase. Helping him to procure and use medical appliances like wheelchair, etc.
• Moderating discussions between the victim, his family and the health insurance company.
• Helping with all other services related to the victim’s post-hospitalization care, support, recovery and rehabilitation.

Under the Michigan No-Fault laws and the car insurance policy, a victim is entitled unlimited services from a case manager, except that the case management services that the victim is entitled to, must be relevant to his needs for recovery and rehabilitation.

It is common for the No-Fault insurance company to insist on a case manager of their choice. Since there are chances of conflict of interest, we recommend you to disregard this request. In fact, such case managers can jeopardize the chances of the victim getting complete medical treatment as well as other benefits.

For your information, the victim has every right to choose his own case manager instead of depending on the services of the case manager provided by the insurance company, to take care of his needs; like other medical benefits, the case manager can render services for as long as required.

Many times, the insurance companies  refuse to pay for these benefits. In case this happens to you, you have no other choice but to make a legal appeal so that the company pays for the services.  It is here that the Michigan car accident lawyers play a big role in getting your benefits paid.

Of all the accidents that cause traumatic brain injuries, those involving motorcycles are perhaps the most common.   The closed head injuries are usually serious, despite the biker wearing helmet and the rider has a higher risk of sustaining head injuries.   The worst part is that most of these injuries are caused by the negligence or callousness of some irresponsible person on the road.

While the surviving victim and his family get busy with the diagnosis and treatment of the condition, they usually forget to contact personal injury lawyers, who can provide the necessary help to the victim and his family to file claims for the damages, in case the accident has been caused due to another person’s negligence.

Any type of closed brain injury can cause irreparable damage to the life of the victim. Over and above the physical and emotional trauma which the victim suffers, the accident can impair him for life; break his family, marriage and relationships. It may cost him his job, leaving him unemployable for a considerable length of time.

The recovery of the victim of a traumatic motorcycle brain injury can take a long time. It involves huge expenses especially considering the long term care and medication costs involved for complete recovery.  The brain is not a simple organ and any damage sustained during a closed brain injury usually takes a long time to diagnose and treat.

Motorcycle accident victims can often obtain Michigan No-Fault Insurance Benefits to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other benefits for injuries suffered in the accident.  Many of these benefits are available for life.  In cases involving brain injuries, these benefits can pay for the necessary rehabilitation related to the recovery from the accident.

Today there are state-of-the-art treatment modules available which coach the surviving victim of a traumatic brain injury how to improve his social behavioral skills, including ways to interpret a seemingly complicated piece of communication. Several studies done on the subject report marked improvement in the social behavioral skills of victims of closed brain injury caused by motorcycle accidents.

If you thought closed brain injuries happened only to others, think again. The official statistics revealing the annual figure of mishaps resulting in traumatic brain injuries are alarming to say the least. 1.4 million people across all age groups suffer some form of traumatic brain injury every year in the United States. Of this, 50,000 people succumb to the closed brain injuries, and over 235,000 people are hospitalized.

In terms of life time costs including health care and wage loss involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of traumatic brain injury in the US, it was estimated to be over $60 billion in 2000 alone.

Surviving a traumatic brain injury can entail enormous expenditure for the victim and his family for medical treatment as well as future rehabilitation. Many victims who suffer closed brain injuries remain incapacitated or in a vegetative state and are incapable of earning ever in their lives. The worst part is that most of the time the injuries are caused by the negligence or carelessness of a callous individual. If you are a surviving victim of a traumatic brain injury or have someone in your family who is, you need to seek legal help at the earliest opportunity.

Considering the huge monetary involvement in the care and support of the patient, the damages could be significant depending on jury verdicts and claim settlements.

How many people do you think are living with a traumatic brain injury in America today? Close to 5.3 million! Every year 1.1 million Americans suffering from traumatic brain injuries get admitted to the emergency room and subsequently released. Children 4 years and under are particularly susceptible to traumatic brain injuries. In a year, children succumbing to such closed brain injuries are close to 26, 85; 37,000 are hospitalized and 435,000 children are treated at emergency rooms across the country.

The age factor is an important risk-indicator to assess the vulnerability of the nation’s population to TBI or traumatic brain injury. Children of 14 years and younger and young people between 15 and 19 top the list in terms of vulnerability, closely followed by senior citizens over 75 years of age who need to be hospitalized or die as a result of the trauma.

Some other statistical information on traumatic brain injury:

• More singles (47%) fall in the risky group than married (32.5%) individuals.
• Males are more prone to suffer traumatic brain injury than women where African American women have the higher rate of death caused by TBIs. This group along with Native Americans and Alaskan Natives has a high rate of hospitalization.
• The two sporting activities identified as responsible for causing traumatic brain injuries are water sports (6498) and trampolines (6360)
• In terms of severity of traumatic brain injuries, 75% are considered to be mild and close to 70,000 victims of TBI suffer permanent damage.