Few kids make it out of childhood without at least one head injury. However, when a child suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI), it’s essential that they begin to receive proper treatment as soon as possible. Otherwise, they can suffer long-term problems.
As Brain Injury Awareness Month gets underway, a pediatric medical journal, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, is issuing new and revised guidelines for medical professionals who care for infants and children who have suffered TBIs.
Every year, over 600,000 children end up in U.S. emergency rooms with TBIs. The injury can be caused by a blow or jolt to the head or even a bump. Approximately 7,000 children in this country die every year from severe TBIs. Those who survive can be left with physical problems like seizures or cognitive problems like learning disabilities that can impact them well into adulthood.
Among the recommendations in the study are procedures for helping health care providers monitor and decrease swelling in the brain after a TBI. The study’s lead author says, “We believe a combination of research findings and real-life experience will further advance the bedside care of infants and children with severe TBI, especially in treatment scenarios where scientific and clinical research is lacking.”
A brain injury may not be readily apparent — particularly in a situation like a car accident where a baby or child may not have struck their head on anything but suffered a severe jolt. That’s why it’s essential to get them checked out by a doctor if there’s any chance they may have suffered a brain injury.
If you’re seeking compensation from an at-fault driver or someone else whom you believe bears responsibility for your child’s injury, it’s essential to determine to the extent possible what kind of treatment will be needed, both in the short term and long term, and what lasting impacts the injury may have on their life. An experienced attorney can help you do this.