Drug May Minimize Traumatic Brain Injury
A medication used to control bleeding in the body by promoting blood clots is now being trial-tested in ten sites across the country for the first time to see if it would be an effective treatment option in severe traumatic brain injury.
The drug, called TXA, is currently being used on military battlefields. This drug is now being tested for the first time in civilian emergency medicine. Experts at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center are part of the national trial. The trial allows these experts to administer the drug even before they arrive at the emergency room if they have been injured due to a traumatic brain injury. According to Dr. Jason McMullan, “a traumatic brain injury can be anything from a mild hit in the head and a concussion, to a devastating hit to the head and brain injury that can either kill you or put you in a coma forever.” Even though TXA has been used for an extended period of time and is considered safe, it has never been used in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. Dr. Bryce Robinson, a trauma surgeon, if you suffer a hit to the head, a “traumatic brain injury could be bleeding in your head. So the thought is to expand this drug to patients with traumatic brain injury.” By minimizing the bleeding in the brain, you minimize the damage.
This study is also unique in the fact that the federal government has allowed participants to be exempt from informed consent before the use of TXA. This mean that patients who are unconscious and unable to make a decision can benefit from the drug. This is a rare green light for the study, but makes sense considering the patients are all suffering from trauma and need emergency medical aid. The researchers hope to find that TXA instantly provides better outcomes for patients than those who did not receive the drug.
What If I Suffer a Brain Injury?
Despite the optimism of medical science, the truth is that traumatic brain injuries are still not completely understood and can affect each person differently. Traumatic brain injuries can give rise to high medical costs, loss of income due to the inability to work, and terrible pain and suffering. Some who suffer from a traumatic brain injury may never fully recover. Therefore, if you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another person, seek the knowledgeable legal counsel of the personal injury lawyers at Gilleon Law Firm, APC in San Diego. With extensive experience aiding the victims of traumatic brain injury, the lawyers at Gilleon Law Firm, APC can help you gather evidence and build the strongest possible personal injury case.
