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March 9th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda FRIDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) — Aggressive treatment of
patients with traumatic brain injury improves chances of recovery and
reduces long-term care costs, according to a new study.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers analyzed data
from 1,000 patients with traumatic brain injury and found that aggressive
care was much more costly than routine care or comfort care. But it was
also much more effective and led to better results, improved quality of
life and lower long-term care costs, the researchers said.
Aggressive care includes invasive intracranial pressure monitoring and
decompressive hemicraniectomy, a procedure in which part of the skull is
removed to allow a swelling brain to expand.
The investigators found that aggressive care was cost-effective in
patients of all ages, but especially in younger patients.
The study, published online March 6 in the Journal of
Neurosurgery, is the first to show the cost-effectiveness of
aggressive care for these patients, the authors said.
“This study clearly shows that aggressive care, for both young and
older patients who suffer a severe traumatic brain injury, provides
patients the best chance at surviving and recovering, and also reduces
lifetime costs associated with TBI [traumatic brain injury] treatment,”
lead author and neurosurgery resident Dr. Robert Whitmore said in a school
of medicine news release.
About 1.5 million traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States
each year, resulting in 200,000 hospitalizations and more than 52,000
deaths. The costs of associated medical care and lost productivity total
about $60 billion a year.
Despite its benefits, the use of aggressive treatment in cases of
traumatic brain injury is inconsistent.
“We’ve reached epidemic levels of traumatic brain injuries in the
United States,” said study co-author Dr. M. Sean Grady, chair and
professor of neurosurgery, in the news release. Standardizing and
optimizing care for the most severe cases can improve survival and
recovery, help people get back to work and lower costs associated with
long-term nursing care, Grady said. “Aggressively treating severe TBI
patients, regardless of age, can lessen the financial impact that severe
TBIs have on society as a whole,” he added.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has
more about traumatic brain injury.
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