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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Brain Injury Research on Accident Victims
A national traumatic-injury study has been going on for several years, funded by the National Institutes of Health, in ten medical centers. Included is the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon. This part of the study includes emergency medical service agencies and is studying accident victims.
The goal has been to find the best way of helping people recover from traumatic shock, from either excessive bleeding or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Such catastrophic injuries occur too often as a result of automobile accidents or truck accidents.
The victims in this study are unable to give their consent to being in the study, because of their injuries. Therefore the work is being done under FDA guidelines that permit research without any patient authorization, in some life-threatening circumstances.
Two Methods Used to Help Victim Recovery
1. Normal saline solution
2. Hypertonic saline solution (with a greater salt content than blood)
These solutions are infused into the patient’s bloodstream to replace lost fluid when severe bleeding is present. The hypertonic solution has been found in past studies to reduce swelling and increase blood flow to the brain, which would presumably help with brain function recovery.
Part of the Study Halted
The researchers have been looking at survival rates and brain function recovery rates. Part of the study has been halted – the part studying people in shock from severe blood loss. Researchers were finding that results for this group were equal for both types of saline solution, except in one respect: they found that victims given hypertonic solution were more often dying before reaching a hospital whereas victims given normal saline died later during the following 28 days.
The other part of the study is continuing, to discover whether hypertonic saline solutions can help TBI patients six months after their injury.
If any person in the Portland area does not want to be part of this study should they be injured in a car accident, they can obtain an alert bracelet saying “No Study” by calling 503-494-8083.
If you or a loved one has sustained a brain injury, whether in an automobile accident, from a defective product, or in some other way, please contact our brain injury attorneys for a free case evaluation.
The goal has been to find the best way of helping people recover from traumatic shock, from either excessive bleeding or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Such catastrophic injuries occur too often as a result of automobile accidents or truck accidents.
The victims in this study are unable to give their consent to being in the study, because of their injuries. Therefore the work is being done under FDA guidelines that permit research without any patient authorization, in some life-threatening circumstances.
Two Methods Used to Help Victim Recovery
1. Normal saline solution
2. Hypertonic saline solution (with a greater salt content than blood)
These solutions are infused into the patient’s bloodstream to replace lost fluid when severe bleeding is present. The hypertonic solution has been found in past studies to reduce swelling and increase blood flow to the brain, which would presumably help with brain function recovery.
Part of the Study Halted
The researchers have been looking at survival rates and brain function recovery rates. Part of the study has been halted – the part studying people in shock from severe blood loss. Researchers were finding that results for this group were equal for both types of saline solution, except in one respect: they found that victims given hypertonic solution were more often dying before reaching a hospital whereas victims given normal saline died later during the following 28 days.
The other part of the study is continuing, to discover whether hypertonic saline solutions can help TBI patients six months after their injury.
If any person in the Portland area does not want to be part of this study should they be injured in a car accident, they can obtain an alert bracelet saying “No Study” by calling 503-494-8083.
If you or a loved one has sustained a brain injury, whether in an automobile accident, from a defective product, or in some other way, please contact our brain injury attorneys for a free case evaluation.
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posted by Benjamin A. Irwin at 12:38 PM
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