Posted by rozeklawoffice on April 27, 2012 under Child Injuries, Pediatric TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury | 
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in children is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In fact, head injuries account for over 80% of all pediatric injuries.
Pediatric brain injuries result in more than $1 billion in hospital charges annually. The most dangerous age groups, statistically, are children from 0 – 4 years-old, and children from 15 – 19 years-old.
The most common causes of pediatric TBI are as follows:
- Car Accidents
- Falls
- Assaults
- Sports and Recreational Activities
- Child Abuse
While the acute symptoms of pediatric TBI are similar to the acute symptoms of adult TBI, unfortunately, pediatric TBI can result in significant long-term functional problems. It is important that children’s brains are not thought of as miniature adult brains. It has long been thought that brain injuries to children were not as serious because their brains could essentially rewire themselves to overcome any brain damage. Long term studies have shown that this neuroplasticity theory is not accurate.
Studies have also shown that following a pediatric TBI, children go through an immediate phase of recovery, but then they typically experience a decline and then a Neurocognitive Stall that results in symptoms plateauing, as opposed to improving.
It is critical that pediatricians recognize the long-term consequences involved in pediatric TBI, so children can be monitored at each stage of their neuro-cognitive development in order to determine if they are falling behind in any particular area of development.
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Contact an experienced Pediatric TBI Attorney.
Posted by rozeklawoffice on March 4, 2012 under Traumatic Brain Injury |
In a breakthrough study published in the latest edition of the Journal of Neurotrauma, researches at the University of Pittsburgh have revealed detailed images of a revolutionary new brain imaging technique referred to as High Definition Fiber Tracking (HDFT). HDFT can show damage to small areas of the brain that would not be visible on a typical CT scan or MRI. Similar to Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), HDFT shows the white matter fiber tracts, which are essentially bundles of brain cells called axons. For example, if the brain were made up of telephone wires, the fiber tracts would be a bundle of telephone wires.
The difference between images shown on the newest DTI scans vs. the images shown by HDFT in the new study are striking. DTI collects data points from 51 directions, while HDFT collects data points from 257 directions. Essentially, HDFT is 5 times more detailed than DTI, which is very exciting considering that DTI detected some type of abnormality in nearly all of my TBI clients.
HDFT holds the potential to legitimatize the complaints of TBI survivors that are typically ignored by emergency personnel and general practitioners. The new imaging technique may also put an end to the ridiculous and dangerous position taken by the neurologists and neuropsychologists working for the insurance industry that claim mild traumatic brain injuries cannot result on permanent ongoing problems. No longer will TBI survivors be neglected because they suffer from invisible injuries.
The study was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Other medical centers and military hospitals will begin implementing studies regarding HDFT in the next six months and the Pitt researchers are optimistic that HDFC could become a routine imaging technique for TBI patients within the next 5 to 10 years.
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Contact Attorney Randy Rozek, an Experienced Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney.
Posted by rozeklawoffice on February 19, 2012 under Traumatic Brain Injury |
Two common symptoms following Traumatic Brain Injury are changes in the ability to smell and changes in the ability to taste. While there can be several different reasons for changes in the ability to properly smell and taste, if there is a sudden change in a person’s ability to properly smell or taste following brain injury, then the doctor should look to the brain injury as the cause of the change in smell or taste.Unfortunately, due to the ability of the brain injury survivor to have full insight into all of their symptoms, it is common that they begin changing their eating patterns, typically over-seasoning their food, before they even realize they have a diminished sense of smell or taste.
There are several different medical diagnoses concerning changes in the ability to smell and taste, including the following:
SMELL
- Anosmia – a complete loss of sense of smell
- Hyposmia – a diminished sense of smell
- Parosmia – a change or alteration in the sense of smell
TASTE
- Ageusia – a complete loss of sense of taste
- Hypogeusia – a partial loss of sense of taste
- Dysgeusia – a change or alteration in the sense of taste
The ability to taste certain types of food is closely linked to the ability to smell, so often the change in sense of smell results in a change in the ability to fully taste everything.
Importantly, it is not the injury to the brain itself that causes the change in the ability to smell or taste, instead it is typically separate damage to the Olfactory Bulb that results in the change in smell or taste. The Olfactory Nerves carry information from the nose to the brain. Unfortunately, it must travel into the skull in an area with rough, sharp ridges called the Cribriform Plate, which makes the Olfactory Nerves very susceptible to trauma. (See Diagram to the Right). In an accident, if there is enough force to cause a brain injury, then there certainly will also be enough force to cause damage to the Olfactory Nerves and/or Olfactory Bulb.
Changes in the sense of smell are usually detected through the administration of a Smell Test. While there are a variety of different Smell Tests, the most common is the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test or UPSIT, which was invented by Richard Doty, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the loss of sense of smell. The UPSIT is essentially a scratch and smell test of 40 items. The test can be self-administered, it can detect if someone is not being accurate regarding their loss of smell and it is also normed for age, gender, smoking habits, and a wide variety of olfactory disorders.
Unfortunately, in my experience representing brain injury survivors, I have found that doctors and neuropsychologists rarely even ask their patients if they have noticed a change in their ability to smell or taste, let alone administer a valid smell or taste test. TBI survivors that have noticed changes in their sense of smell or taste must bring it to their doctors attention. They should be referred to an ENT for administration of a valid Smell Test and to explore potential treatment options, which can include zinc supplements, medications or possibly even surgery. Unfortunately, post-traumatic Anosmia and/or Ageusia is usually not curable.
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Contact Attorney Randy Rozek, an Experienced Wisconsin Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney.
Posted by rozeklawoffice on January 14, 2012 under Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, General |
Green Bay Hilton Garden Inn
As news surfaced of yet another carbon monoxide poisoning at a Green Bay hotel, it shed light on the reluctance of the hotel industry to address a major safety concern. On December 30, 2011, as many as 16 people were hospitalized after being exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide while staying at the Green Bay Hilton Garden, 1015 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Green Bay Fire Department recently released their records that indicate four small children and several other people were suffering from common symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, including vomiting, nausea and headaches.
The Green Bay Fire Department detected dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in several areas within the hotel, including the swimming pool area, the workout room, two restrooms and a stairway. Apparently the carbon monoxide level in the swimming pool area was a 800 parts per million (ppm) and 957 ppm in the pool equipment room. Buildings are typically evacuated at 9 ppm. Sustained exposure to carbon monoxide at levels as high as 800 ppm can be lethal. Carbon monoxide exposure can also result in severe long-term consequences, such as brain injury and heart problems. The Hilton Garden Inn general manager, Michelle Lang, has continued to remain silent as to how this could have happened to their guests.
Green Bay Hilton Garden Inn Swimming Pool
The hotel industry has long recognized the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure, yet some hotel chains have failed to institute uniform policies requiring the installation of carbon monoxide detectors throughout their hotels. Ironically, exactly one year prior to the date of the Green Bay Hilton Inn carbon monoxide poisoning incident, our office joined forces with the Brain Injury Law Group to file suit on behalf of victims who were poisoned by carbon monoxide while staying at the Green Bay Day’s Inn back in May of 2009. Now 2 1/2 years later, it is apparent that some hotel chains have still done nothing to protect their guests from carbon monoxide exposure, like simply installing working carbon monoxide detectors. Under Wisconsin Safe Place Law, hotel owners are required to keep their hotels as “free from danger to the life, health, safety, and welfare of guests as the nature of the hotel will reasonably permit.” The failure to install carbon monoxide detectors throughout a hotel clearly violates this law and until the hotel industry gets this message loud and clear, hotel guests throughout the world will continue to get sick and even die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
