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 attorneys. 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.
