News
Scans Show Soldiers With TBI Have High Rate of Complication
Source: Flickr
It appears that U.S. military members who have endured a traumatic brain injury are likely to have complications such as narrowed blood vessels and increased pressure in the brain. This information was presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference by Alexander Razumovsky, PhD, director of Sentient NeuroCare Services, according to a press release.
Researches scanned the brains of soldiers using non-invasive Doppler ultrasound. Of the soldiers studies, 88 had penetrating head injuries, or injuries which penetrated the skull, and 34 with closed head injuries. More than 40 percent of those surveyed has heightened pressure in the brain, or “intracranial hypertension.”
These complications aren’t just present in military personnel either. “What we’ve found is applicable and important to civilian traumatic brain injury patients, given that a significant number of them will have posttraumatic bleeding that will lead to vasospasm and intracranial hypertension,” stated Razumovsky.
Razumovsky hopes that improved tracking and managing of brain injury patients will help better treat these complications. “Daily transcranial Doppler studies are recommended for recognition and subsequent management of these secondary complications.”
These findings have yet to be peer-reviewed, so they are considered unreliable or preliminary for the moment, but there are innumerable documented cases of veterans dealing with brain injuries also facing complications, especially from bleeding in the brain and increased pressure.
