Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
Acquired brain injury (ABI) refers to brain damage sustained after birth that deteriorates physical, emotional and cognitive function. There are two categories of ABI: traumatic brain injury (TBI) and non-traumatic brain injury. TBI results from an outside force, for example whiplash during a car accident. Non-traumatic injury can be caused by an adverse internal condition such as anoxia (an absence of oxygen), which often occurs in near drowning accidents; or by a neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's.
Some acquired brain injuries occur due to another party's negligence. If you feel you or a loved one was harmed due to someone else's neglect or carelessness, contact an attorney who specializes in personal injury lawsuits to evaluate your case and learn about ways to obtain compensation, including settlements and court awards.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) "is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adults from ages 1 to 44," according to the Brain Trauma Foundation. A TBI is classified as either a closed head injury or an open head injury.
Closed head injury is damage done to the brain that does not involve the penetration of a foreign object, such as a knife, bullet or piece of shrapnel. It is harm done to the brain as a consequence of a hard impact to the head, the head slamming into an object or the head being forcefully jolted.
Open head injury is brain injury acquired as a result of a penetrating object, for example a bullet that breaks through the skull and outer membranes of the brain and forges a path into the brain itself. A penetrating object that travels through the head, in at one location and out another, is referred to as a perforating head injury.
A TBI may take any combination of the following forms: skull fracture, concussion, hematoma (epidural and/or subdural), hemorrhage (intraventricular and/or subarachnoid), contusion and diffuse axonal injury. Subsequent to initial injuries, harmful secondary conditions often materialize, such as increased intracranial pressure (ICP), edema, infection, ischemia, vasospasm, hydrocephalus and epilepsy.
TBI symptoms can range from subtle to obvious, appearing anywhere from the moment of the brain's disturbance to days and weeks afterward, showing up as changes in behavior (irritability, depression, anxiety, etc.), changes in physical well-being (headaches, fatigue, nausea, etc.) and/or changes in cognitive abilities (memory loss, disorientation, difficulty concentrating, etc).
Diagnosing a TBI can be difficult because symptoms mirror other medical problems and because symptoms manifest differently and with varying degrees of severity as time passes. However, a TBI should be suspected when a trauma to the head is accompanied by a period of unconsciousness and other symptoms lasting more than 15 minutes. Specific diagnostic tools may include blood tests, imaging tests (X-ray, CT-scan, MRI, etc.), and evaluations using neurological grading scales such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) or the Rancho Los Amigos Scale.
TBI Treatment depends upon the severity of brain injury, ranging from bed rest for a minor concussion to surgical removal of hematomas and various psychological and physical rehabilitation therapies for more severe injuries.
Recovery from a a traumatic brain injury depends largely upon the grade a patient receives according to neurological grading scales. Patients with mild TBI may expect to make a complete recovery. Moderate TBI usually indicates recovery after rehabilitation. Severe TBI is likely to render the patient permanently disabled, sometimes resulting in a coma, vegetative state or even death. If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may wish to consider speaking with an attorney about your case. An attorney specializing in personal injury cases can provide you with examples of settlements and help determine if you are likely to receive compensation for your suffering.
Victims of accidents resulting in traumatic brain injury are sometimes able to obtain sizeable settlements from the parties responsible for their disability and suffering. To determine your chances of receiving compensation for your losses, contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Non-traumatic Brain Injury
Non-traumatic brain injuries fall into two categories: damage to the brain's neurons (nerve cells) as a result of an adverse internal condition and damage caused by a degenerative disease. A non-traumatic brain injury may be confined to one region of the brain or extend across parts of the brain or the whole of the brain.
Adverse Internal Conditions. Some examples of adverse internal conditions are anoxia/hypoxia, infection, alcohol abuse, tumor and stroke.
Anoxia/hypoxia. Anoxia is a condition caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Without oxygen or enough oxygen, brain cells die. This can happen when the body's oxygen supply is cut off (e.g., by an obstruction in the throat); when there is too little oxygen in the blood (e.g., as a result of blood loss); or when a harmful substance in the blood, such as carbon monoxide, prevents brain cells from acquiring oxygen. It can also occur due to an injury during the birthing process, in which case it is considered congenital brain injury. Anoxia caused by negligence during delivery may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation for the child's injuries and disability. Such cases frequently lead to large settlements or court awards.
Symptoms of anoxia/hypoxia include, among others, the following: difficulty thinking, problems seeing, inability to coordinate, and emotional outbursts.
Diagnosis of anoxia and/or hypoxia is often made based on an assessment of apparent symptoms. In addition, laboratory tests may be used, depending on the suspected cause of the condition. One test is the serum lactate test, which measures levels of lactic acid in the blood. Increased levels of lactic acid indicate oxygen deficiency.
Treatment depends upon the cause of oxygen deprivation. However, actions may include administering 100 percent oxygen to the air supply, performing a blood transfusion and administering a poison antidote. Recovery depends on the length of time the brain was deprived of oxygen and the severity of the resulting brain injury.
Infection. An infection occurs when a colony of germs take up residence in the brain. Some common germs include bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Infection causes inflammation and may cause the formation of an abscess. An abscess is a pocket of pus (infectious materials such as white blood cells, damaged brain cells, etc.). Some symptoms of infection are fever, headache, confusion and seizures. Meningitis (inflammation of the three membranes that protect the brain) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) are examples of brain damaging infections.
Diagnostic tools include neurological examination, blood tests and imaging techniques (CT-scan, MRI). Treatments may include antibiotics and surgery to drain any abscesses.
Prognosis depends on the cause of infection (bacteria, virus, etc.), early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Complications of bacterial infections can result in permanent brain damage. Viral and fungal infections often can be overcome. Infections can come on fast and, in some cases, can result in death within a very short time.
Alcohol. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause the brain to shrink, especially in the area of the frontal lobe where cognitive functions are based. Dementia is one of its signs. Damage to the brain may be reversed with abstinence. Withdrawal symptoms associated with early abstinence, such as seizures, can be severe.
Tumor. A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells in the brain. Tumors can be either benign (non-cancerous and does not spread) or malignant (cancerous and may spread). Because tumors grow and expand, they compress areas of the brain against the skull, causing damage to brain tissue. Damage can also occur during surgery to remove a brain tumor. Symptoms vary depending upon the area of the brain impacted. However, they can include noticeable impairment of cognitive, physical and psychological function.
Diagnosis relies on the results of neurological examinations, biopsy (removal of a small bit of tumor tissue for testing) and imaging techniques (CT-scan, MRI). Treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
Prognosis depends on a variety of circumstances, including, among others, the type of tumor, any surgical procedures performed, and the severity of brain damage incurred as a result of the tumor crowding the skull. Patients with benign tumors may recover quite well; patients with malignant tumors may do poorly.
Neurodegenerative Disease. Neurodegenerative diseases, which cause progressive deterioration of brain functions such as memory, ability to speak, ability to solve problems and ability to control muscles, manifest in various forms. Among others, they include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Supranuclear Palsy, and Huntington's disease. Genetics may play a role in some neurodegenerative diseases, for example in Huntington's disease, but the causes of most of the others are unknown. For now, there is no effective treatment.
To learn about the legal implications of accidents involving brain injuries, contact a personal injury lawyer who has experience negotiating settlements and filing lawsuits seeking monetary compensation.
[Last revision: June 21, 2010]