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 Posted on November 18, 2014 in Catastrophic Injuries

If you suffer a head injury in any type of accident-even if it seems minor-your life could be permanently altered. This is because even minor head injuries can cause long-lasting problems. Brain injuries can affect all aspects of one's life-even one's personality.

When an accident occurs that causes someone to have a brain injury the common symptoms include headaches, confusion, slurred speech, coordination issues, nausea, or if they just don't feel like themselves. It is critical that medical attention is sought immediately to determine if a brain injury occurred.

Because brain injuries are complex, it is important that people who have suffered head trauma and families of the injured learn as much as they can about brain injuries. For this reason, we have put together an extensive article full of useful information.

Types of Brain Injuries

• Concussion. When a person suffers a concussion, it means that a jolt or blow to the head occurred which can alter the way the brain normally works. Some people return to normal in a couple of months; however, others might suffer from long-term concentration and memory problems.

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 Posted on November 15, 2014 in Catastrophic Injuries

After an accident, it is understandable that you want to forget what happened as soon as possible. It was a devastating time in your life, but you want to move forward and not be limited or defined by your accident.

Unfortunately, when your injuries cause permanent disfigurement or disability, you are forced to remember your accident on a daily basis. This is hard to accept-even for the strongest of people.

Coping With a Disfiguring Injury

Amputations and burns are the two most common and most serious types of disfiguring injuries. These kinds of injuries force victims to adjust their lives to accommodate the permanent changes they are facing. Coping with these changes and the long-term effects can be difficult, to say the least.

When you're seriously injured, you face emotional and physical turmoil. Unfortunately, the costs associated with each of these injuries goes beyond the physical and psychological. The financial burden of these injuries can make coping that much more difficult. To help, you may be able to file a claim against the person who caused the injury. This could alleviate a significant amount of stress and allow you to focus on moving forward rather than continuing to pay for someone else's mistakes.

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 Posted on November 07, 2014 in Medical Malpractice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an extremely important federal agency that provides regulatory testing research in order to protect the citizens and animals of this country. The agency is responsible for protecting public health by assuring the safety, adequacy, and security of human (and veterinary) drugs, biological products, medical devices, food supply, cosmetics, and radioactive products. It is also responsible for helping to expedite medical innovations that will make medicines more effective, safer, and more affordable.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the FDA, certain medical equipment and drugs can pass inspection even though they're not 100% safe due to limited regulatory powers.

Liposuction Regulation Cans and Cannots of the FDA

When it comes to medical supplies, equipment, and drugs for liposuction procedures, the FDA has certain rules that control what it can and can't regulate.

What it can regulate:

• The sale of medical devices and drugs.This includes syringes, scalpels, pumps, collecting containers, ultrasound probes, and cannula (the vacuum apparatus that is used to suck the fat out), If a device isn't approved by the FDA, it is illegal by federal law to be used by physicians.

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 Posted on November 05, 2014 in Traffic Accidents

The Virginia State Crime Commission is currently considering proposed laws that will tighten the existing laws applicable to texting and driving. While texting and driving is already illegal in Virginia, the state's lawmakers are seeking to increase the penalties for this crime.

Our Fairfax car and truck accident lawyers have represented clients involved in motor vehicle collisions due to distracted driving. In fact, distracted driving is a frequent cause of car and truck collisions throughout the country and Virginia is no exception. Sadly, accidents involving distracted drivers are oftentimes severe and may result in serious injuries, fatalities, and complete wreckage of vehicles.

What To Know About Texting and Driving in Virginia

Currently, Virginia's laws regarding texting and driving state that:

• It is unlawful to text and drive
• Texting includes manually entering multiple letters or text into a handheld personal communications device to communicate with another

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 Posted on November 01, 2014 in Spinal Cord Injuries

When a person becomes paralyzed, the diagnosis is from the point of injury on the spine and below, he or she loses the ability to feel or even move. While often we think of paralysis as just affected arms and legs, the truth is that a person may also lose feeling in and function of many other parts of the body, including the automatic responses that take care of basic bodily actions.

One such issue is referred to as incontinence. Because the sacral nerves are located at the bottom of the spine, the bladder and the gastrointestinal system do not always function properly after a spinal cord injury.

Incontinence and Gastrointestinal Issues Associated With Spinal Cord Injuries

People who suffer spinal cord injuries are likely to have difficulty managing incontinence, both with their bladder and bowels. Here are more specific problems related to bladder and gastrointestinal issues:

• Bladder Control. Because the body has lost control over sensations, people who are paralyzed will likely lose the ability to control when they urinate.

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 Posted on October 25, 2014 in Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injury (SCI) victims-especially those who are paralyzed from the waist down-often suffer from urinary tract infections (UTI). A UTI is basically when bacteria enters the urethra and makes its way up into the bladder, potentially infecting everything in its path until it reaches your kidneys. The reason why SCI victims suffer an increased risk for UTIs is because of the need for catheters to help with urination.

The National Institutes of Health suggests that the use of a urinary catheter, not only introduces bacteria into the body-unclean or improperly handled tubes can easily carry bacteria-but they also allow a straight path for bacteria to travel directly to the kidneys. This is why SCI victims must constantly monitor for UTIs as well as make sure their catheters are properly maintained.

How UTIs Affect Pregnancy

Unfortunately, pregnancy can also further increase UTI risks for SCI victims. As the fetus grows, it pushes on the bladder and kidneys, creating more pressure on the catheter. A study performed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on SCIs during pregnancy, suggests that the UTI rate for SCI pregnancies is 100 percent. This means that if you have an SCI while pregnant, you'll most likely also suffer at least one UTI.

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 Posted on October 23, 2014 in Spinal Cord Injuries

You have been talking about starting a family for months now, but since your accident, you're not sure whether or not it's a good idea. You've always wanted to have a child, but suffering a spinal cord injury (SCI) after an SUV plowed into your car last year has caused you some doubts. Being paralyzed from the waist down, you just don't know if getting pregnant would be safe or fair for you and the baby.

What are your delivery risks? Will your baby be in danger? What could happen as a result of your SCI?

Potential Problems During Delivery Caused by SCIs

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2,000 women of childbearing age in the United States have a spinal cord injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that of these 2,000 women, approximately 80 of them will become pregnant or give birth every year. However, due to the maternal spinal cord injury, these pregnancies have higher risks for complications throughout gestation-while the baby is developing-as well as during delivery.

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 Posted on October 23, 2014 in General

For years, advocates of tort reform have claimed that medical malpractice lawsuits are a primary cause for the increase in health care costs. Their argument is that doctors fearing a possible medical malpractice lawsuit practice medicine defensively, which in turn results in the doctor ordering unnecessary tests in order to protect themselves against a lawsuit. Arecent study from the RAND Corporation disproved this argument.

The study examined the health care costs in three states (Georgia, Texas and South Carolina) both before and after the enactment of new tort reform laws. It further compared these costs with the health care costs from neighboring states that did not enact any of the the new tort reform laws. The study found that the new laws made no difference in curtailing the rising costs of health care. The findings were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The remarks of the study's chief author, Dr. Daniel Waxman, are insightful: "It's easy to blame something that's out of our control, and the legal system is a convenient scapegoat." Dr. Waxman is a medical doctor with board certifications in cardiology and emergency medicine. At Shevlin Smith, we echo Dr. Waxman's remarks. The legal system should never be blamed for negligent care that needlessly injures patients. Victims of medical negligence have a constitutional right to pursue their legal rights without restrictions imposed by agenda-driven tort reform advocates.

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 Posted on October 15, 2014 in Brain Injuries

It's been two days since the electrical fire broke out in your apartment, and although you managed to get out safely-you're still experiencing problems from the smoke. You've had several bouts of dizziness, incessant coughing, and you find yourself easily dazed and forgetful.

Could the smoke inhalation from the fire have caused serious side effects, other than to your lungs?

Identifying Signs of Cerebral Hypoxia

According to the National Institute of Health and Neurological Disorders, your brain requires approximately 3.3 milliliters of oxygenated blood per minute for every 100 grams of brain tissue present. When your brain is deprived of this vital amount of oxygen, it goes into cerebral hypoxia, and tissues begin to essentially suffocate and die. Not only does this create serious damage to your brain's function, but it can also have lasting cognitive effects as well.

Initially the body responds to cerebral hypoxia by redirecting blood to the brain and increasing cerebral blood flow. However, this redirection can only last for a limited time, and if the oxygen flow still isn't adequate, you'll immediately begin to feel the effects.

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 Posted on October 12, 2014 in Birth Injuries

There is nothing scarier than when your baby is injured. So when your newborn is placed into your arms for the first time and you notice a distinct swelling on her head, your first instinct is to panic: What does this mean? Is it serious-could it be fatal

What is Cephalohematoma?

Cephalohematoma is a fairly common type of Virginia birth injury. As the infant is being born, its head may push against the sides of the birth canal, causing blood to build up between the scalp and the skull. The blood rushes in, acting as a cushion for the brain, but the "scraping" of the baby's head along the canal will cause pronounced swelling to the scalp.

Cephalohematoma is often caused by:

• Forceful delivery. If the baby is larger than normal, or if the mother is experiencing her first natural birth, the risk of head trauma is much higher, since the birth canal will be more constricted.
• Vacuum extraction. If your doctor uses a vacuum cap to deliver the child, the risk of swelling is already great-but the added pressure from the cap can increase the bruising under the scalp.

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