BROWNSVILLE & HARLINGEN – With March serving as Brain Injury Awareness Month in the United States, local neurological experts are stressing the need for rapid treatment when it comes to brain trauma caused by anything from simple accidental falls to stroke.
According to information compiled by the Brain Injury Association of America, there are two types of brain injuries. Acquired brain injuries are those that are considered to not be hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. Such injuries can be caused by a wide array of incidents from stroke to electric shocks. Traumatic brain injuries are a specific type of brain injury caused by trauma to the brain from an external force, often sustained during serious motor vehicle accidents or severe falls.
Statistics reveal that someone in the United States sustains a brain injury every nine seconds, with more than 3.6 million people suffering brain injuries each year.
“2.8 million of those brain injuries are traumatic brain injuries, and are often secondary to things like blunt force trauma or motor vehicle accidents that lead to swelling of the brain,” said Dr. Ameer E. Hassan, DO, FAHA, FSVIN, Head of the Neuroscience Department, Director of Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology and Director of Clinical Neuroscience Research at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen.
Hassan said that following these types of incidents, individuals may often delay seeking medical care because they feel the incident may not have caused injury to the brain. However, such delays in treatment can lead to serious consequences ranging from long-term disability to death.
“Symptoms of brain injuries are similar to the signs of stroke,” he said. “If you are having slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, numbness, or what you’d consider the worst headache of your life, these are all signs that you should get to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible.”
Stroke, which remains the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States, is also considered a brain injury and should be treated as rapidly as possible, said Dr. Luis Gaitan, Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville.
Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease which affects the arteries leading to the brain and the arteries within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, and that part of the brain starts to die, Gaitan said.
“It’s important to recognize that a stroke is happening, because you can save a life, including your own,” he said. “The point to remember is that ‘time equals brain.’ A delay of even five or 10 minutes can make a big difference in a patient’s outcome. Every minute in delay to treatment leads to 2 million neurons dying.”
At both Valley Baptist Medical Centers in Brownsville and Harlingen, a clot-busting medication called tPA is used when medically indicated to reverse strokes – but in most cases the medication must be given within three hours from the start of symptoms of a possible stroke.
“Valley Baptist-Brownsville continues to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients, and part of that effort is making sure our patients are receiving the appropriate care as quickly as possible,” he said. “When it comes to treating a stroke, every second counts.”
To help better care for brain injury patients who require a higher level of specialized care, Valley Baptist-Harlingen’s new Neurological Intensive Care Unit opened to patients earlier this week. The unit, which features 14 ICU beds dedicated to neurological patients, utilizes state-of-the-art equipment in rooms specially designed to provide the soothing environment needed to recover from critical neurological conditions.
“Our new neuro ICU offers the latest and most cutting-edge technology for our patients, especially for those who have suffered brain traumas and strokes, Hassan said. “The idea is for us to help our underserved communities and offer the advanced neurological care our patients need without them having to leave the area and their support systems.”
For more information on the Valley Baptist Neuroscience Institute, visit www.valleybaptist.net.
