Unfortunately, those who choose to serve their country run
a comparatively high risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Military personnel are at risk for automobile accidents,
the number-one civilian cause of TBI, but they are also
consistently exposed to strong munitions that can cause a
traumatic brain injury. Military service exposes personnel
to a risk of penetrative brain damage, such as that
sustained when a bullet or shrapnel penetrates the skull.
But the greater cause of TBI among soldiers is closed brain
injury, in which there is no break in the skull,
particularly those caused by explosive blasts. When
soldiers are caught near an explosion, they may sustain
brain damage directly from the blast wave, which can
increase pressure inside the skull; or indirectly from
being physically thrown against a hard object
Afghanistan, Iraq Conflicts a Major Risk Factor for
Traumatic Brain Injury
We now know those who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq
are at a much higher risk of TBI than combat veterans from
previous wars. In the Vietnam War, 14 to 18 percent of all
veterans had a brain injury. Today, the Walter Reed Army
Medical Center says 31 percent of those admitted between
January 2003 and May 2005 had some kind of brain injury. A
2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine
attributed these higher numbers in part to advancements in
munitions, especially improvised explosive devices, and in
part to improvements in body armor, which protects soldiers
from what would previously have been a fatal penetrative
wound, but not from a nonfatal blast injury.
Misdiagnosed/Undiagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury in Soldiers
Because the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury often do
not appear until weeks after the injury is sustained, it is
not uncommon for a TBI to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
This is especially true when the symptoms of a TBI are
subtle, such as a personality change or emotional problems,
which are easy for strangers to miss. There is evidence
that the military sometimes misdiagnoses such symptoms as
psychological, or even accuses soldiers of malingering, due
in part to doctors' lack of resources or brain-injury
expertise.
And as Commander James Dunne, lead trauma surgeon at the
National Naval Medical Center, observed at a 2006 summit of
military physicians, the long-term consequences of an
undiagnosed TBI can be devastating. Service members with an
undiagnosed TBI lose precious treatment time, holding back
their recoveries and causing complications in their
personal lives. Because side effects of a traumatic brain
injury include behavioral and emotional problems,
especially depression, TBIs can hold discharged soldiers
back from reintegrating into civilian society or even from
continued success in the armed services.
A 1996 medical study showed that a behavior-related
discharge from the military was 1.8 times more likely for a
TBI patient than for a soldier without a TBI. Difficulties
with memory, motor skills and the senses, more common side
effects of brain damage, can also affect veterans' ability
to get a job, care for a family or perform other life
functions. And without a diagnosis, military TBI patients
may be liable for tens of thousands of dollars' worth of
medical bills, on top of lost wages.
Proper helmets and body armor, particularly the newest
Kevlar armor, remain the best way to prevent a traumatic
brain injury among those who serve in the military. Fast
diagnosis and treatment of the injury are also important
ways to prevent secondary injuries from the physical and
chemical changes to the brain that follow a TBI, such as
swelling. It can also minimize the cost, both personal and
financial, of the injury to the soldier and his or her
loved ones. If you suspect that you or someone you care
about has an undiagnosed service-related brain injury, an
experienced brain injury attorney can help you get the
treatment and compensation you need.
----------------------------------------------------
LegalView.com is your source for everything legal on the
web. Visit us at http://legalview.com for access to a
complete legal database, including our free attorney
referral service. Visitors to LegalView.com will be able to
browse a collection of resources on many legal issues
including a construction accident lawsuit, asbestos lawyer,
and more. You can also get help to find a brain injury
lawyer at http://brain-injury.legalview.com
No comments:
Post a Comment