Brain Injury Treatment: Surgery

Brain Injury Lawyer Serving Nationwide

How Are Head Injuries Surgically Treated? – The treatment of ahead injury will be based on its severity. Of the types of injuries already listed on other pages in this site, the following is a rough guide as to what to expect for the following.

Intracerebral bleeding

Intracerebral bleeding, or bleeding in the spaces surrounding the brain, almost always requires surgery. Since there is pressure in the skull, some relief of that pressure is normal procedure. Obviously, this will depend on the severity, but surgery is typically an essential part of treatment.

Craniotomy

The easiest solution to alleviating pressure is to drill a small hole in the skull, which is called a craniotomy. The surgeon will try to repair the damage inside the skull and then once completed, physicians will often place a monitor inside the skull to monitor the pressure. The same hole can also be used to remove a deadly blood clot, should there be one present.

A craniotomy, by definition, is when the piece is removed and a procedure is completed in the operating room, then the piece is replaced at the end of the surgery and allowed time to heal again. Sometimes metal plates or screws hold the small piece in place until the bone can grow together naturally.

Craniectomy

Should a small hole fail to alleviate the pressure, the physician may opt to remove one of the skull bones to allow more room for expansion of the swelling. That more complicated process of removing a piece of skull to get to the injury beneath is called a craniectomy. Typically, a much larger piece of skull is removed and not returned immediately. The skull itself may have been severely damaged and needs to be removed and pieced together with a man-made substance; or it may be the several surgeries may be necessary and doing multiple craniotomies would do more harm than good, and craniectomy would be proscribed. Typically, though, a piece or removed skull will be placed back into the patient’s body somewhere to keep the bone safe. Often a small incision is made in the abdomen’s fatty tissue, where it’s preserved by the patient’s own body.

Complications

Patients with excessive bleeding within the skull will often be put on life support since they may be at risk of having trouble in basic respiration and heart function. Proper medication will be utilized to prevent additional swelling as well as bleeding and other complications.

Treatment of a patient is always designed to return him or her to the level of brain function present prior to the trauma.

For minor head injury patients, often simple observation and control of symptoms is proscribed. For example, as long as no bleeding is detected, the patient will be treated for headache pain and be given anti-nausea drugs.

Mr. Doan knows that brain-injury related hardships are especially difficult to deal with. That’s where experienced legal counsel will more than equalize the situation. With representation from Jimmy Doan and The Doan Law Firm, you’re assured of getting the compensation you deserve. With that, you can begin putting your life back together.

Jimmy Doan focuses on brain-injury litigation and is one of his team of dedicated attorneys look forward to providing you with a consultation, advising you of all your rights and answering any questions that you may have. In that respect, Jimmy Doan or one of The Doan Law Firm’s lawyers is available for a free consultation and specialized representation all hours of the day or night at(800) 349-0000.