Integrated Care for Multisensory Injury

• Published in: Psychiatric annals Vol. 43; no. 7; pp. 334 - 337
• Main Authors: Packer, Mark D., Hammill, Tanisha, Nelson, Jeremy T., Miller, Jonathan S., Gover, Tony D., Scherer, John M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare SLACK INCORPORATED 01.07.2013
• Subjects: Anxiety; Brain damage; Brain research; Communication; Head injuries; Hearing loss; Integrated approach; Medical imaging; Medical research; Medical treatment; Neuroimaging; Patients; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychopathology; Tinnitus; Trauma; Traumatic brain injury; United States > US
• ISSN: 0048-5713; 1938-2456
• DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20130703-09

In 1994, the National Football League initiated a research endeavor to address problems associated with head injuries sustained by professional athletes. This ongoing study tracks the incidence, biomechanics, and recovery outcomes of head injuries suffered by players. +Superscript 1 -Superscript Brain injury has also become a pressing concern in the US military, primarily due to blast-related traumas that have occurred during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Reports estimate mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) after blast exposure account for 85% of all battlefield injuries. +Superscript 2 -Superscript Between 2003 and 2009, nearly one-third of US service members wounded in combat and evacuated to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center were diagnosed with TBI. In a military cohort of immediate evacuees sustaining body-wide injuries, TBI incidence was 54%, with 14% of TBI incidences documented by abnormal neuroimaging. 3 In this analysis, a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS) was significantly associated with abnormal neuroimaging, longer hospitalization, and more severe brain injury. These data demonstrate the high prevalence of TBI, its typical invisible nature, and the higher probability of diagnosing structural abnormalities as non-neurologic injuries worsen.