Understanding TBI: Treatment Options

The term traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is given to any outside force that damages the brain. Like any head or brain injury, the effects of traumatic can range from mild to life-threatening. Nevertheless, all traumatic brain injury, no matter how minor or serious, needs immediate treatment to prevent the injury from worsening and causing further damage to the brain.

Depending on the severity of the injury, treatment options can vary widely. Below are some of the most common treatment options for traumatic brain injury of all levels.

• Stabilization—regardless of the severity of the accident, the first step in any traumatic brain injury treatment is to make sure that the patient is stabilized and that the injury is not worsening.
• Oxygenation—maintaining proper oxygen levels in TBI patients is critical, as brain injuries often leads to oxygen deprivation in the brain which can cause serious long-term damage.
• Monitoring and controlling intracranial pressure (ICP)—if ICP gets too high, the brain can be deprived of much needed blood flow. By reducing intracranial pressure, the brain is able to function as normally as possible.
• Surgery—surgery is often needed to remove large lesions or to remove foreign objects that have entered the brain (usually during the accident that caused the TBI). Additionally, surgery is often needed to treat intracranial hematomas by removing any pooling blood.
• Rehabilitation—traumatic brain injury patients often experience some form of brain damage (in varying degrees) and may need rehabilitation to restore their previous quality of life. Patients usually work with specialists to return to a state where independent living is possible.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident that has caused a traumatic brain injury, contact Cincinnati personal injury lawyer Shawn M. Stepleton today at 513-321-7733.