Some researchers are currently looking at the brain to try to determine why some patients who suffer a head injury in the United States, including in New Mexico, end up recovering while other patients do not. This phenomenon appears to be linked to what is known as a brain tsunami. This tsunami is essentially a seizure-like wave that is damaging and that spreads throughout the brain slowly after a serious injury.
Physicians are hoping to one day prevent the secondary damage done by a brain tsunami. However, an important step in doing this is to create an effective way of identifying when a person is experiencing a tsunami. One researcher has been awarded a grant of more than $4 million by the federal government to study these waves.
As part of their research, doctors are planning to implant electrodes in the brain that will be used for monitoring the brain, and other electrodes will also be placed on a patient’s scalp. Monitoring these waves is considered important since research indicates that 60 percent of the patients with the most critical head injuries that require surgery have tsunamis in their brains. The study’s results may lead to a new monitoring standard for intensive care patients who have suffered brain trauma.
Sometimes, serious injury to the brain can be caused by a serious car accident caused by a negligent driver. In this type of situation, the New Mexico individual facing injuries has the right to file a personal injury claim against the reportedly at-fault party. A monetary award in a case that is fought successfully may help the victim to cover his or her ongoing healthcare expenses and other injury-related losses.
Source: wvxu.org, “Searching Out Tsunamis To Help Brain Injury Patients“, Ann Thompson, Aug. 29, 2016