Speedy treatment 'essential' for traumatic brain injuriesRSS Feed

It is "essential" that people with traumatic brain injuries are treated as soon as possible after they receive the injury, it is reported.

"Most neurologists agree that there's a 60 to 90-minute window from the time the injury was suffered to the point where treatment must begin," states Caitlin Hagan, writing for the Paging Dr Gupta blog on the CNN website.

However, she points out that it is not always easy to tell when someone has suffered a traumatic brain injury, especially in young children.

Dr Lisa McGuire, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center, advises that whenever a child suffers any kind of blow to the head, parents should look out for sudden drowsiness or inability to be alert, difficulty recognising familiar people or places, sudden whining or irritability, loss of interest in favourite toys, numbness of one side of the body, vomiting or neck pain.

If any of these symptoms are noticed, a doctor should be contacted immediately.

Earlier this month, the CDC released statistics showing that an estimated 1.7 million fatalities, hospitalisations and emergency department visits relating to traumatic brain injury occur each year in the US.

News from Serious Law, specialist traumatic brain injury solicitors

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