Reclassifying Traumatic Brain Injury
Doctors and insurance companies often treat traumatic brain injury as an "event" that ends with treatment. Now researchers are proposing that traumatic brain injury be redefined as a chronic disease process associated with risks of serious health problems that can last months, years and even a lifetime.
The Wall Street Journal reports that researchers from the University of Texas say reclassifying traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a chronic disease would benefit patients.
Long-term Treatment
People who suffer TBI can need years of treatment; an expensive mix of care that can include rehabilitation, medication and surgery. Patients can need long periods of observation and supervision as they struggle with symptoms that can include:
- Seizures
- Sleep disorders
- Neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's dementia
- Bowel and bladder problems
- Sexual dysfunction
- Increased mortality rates; reduced life expectancy
In the Journal of Neurotrauma, researchers state that their goal is not to discourage TBI patients, but rather encourage insurers and medical providers to manage and treat the injury with an eye on the wide range of physical and psychiatric problems TBI can cause and accelerate.
Of course, reclassification would not come without its own set of problems. Doctors would need to view TBI from a new perspective informed by emerging research. Physicians who misdiagnosed or mistreated the disease would face increased exposure to liability in medical malpractice claims.
In many cases, victims of TBI suffer health problems that affect other parts of their lives, including family and work.
Helping Clients Get the Care They Need
At the Mishkind Law Firm, we have represented many patients and their loved ones that suffer the impact of brain injuries. These individuals have had to learn to cope with long-term impairments that drastically diminish their quality of life. One such client was a 37-year-old sales executive involved in a devastating rear-end collision. He sustained multiple back and neck injuries resulting in headaches, disorientation, imbalance and ringing in his ears. Over time, he lost multiple jobs and moved his family, only to find himself unemployed and going through rehabilitation for his debilitating injuries.
We were successful in helping him obtain a judgment in the sum of $4.5 million to help compensate him, to defer the medical costs, loss of income and expensive life-long rehabilitation costs associated with permanent brain injuries.
Our Cleveland, Ohio personal injury attorneys help victims of brain injuries due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia (reduced oxygen flow to the brain that causes death or permanent injury to areas of the brain) and their families get the compensation they deserve for critical expenses and lasting damage. contact a personal injury lawyer for an assessment of your legal options.
