Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Each year about 800,000 people in the U.S. will suffer a stroke and of those will 150,000 will die. Worldwide, it is estimated that 15 million people will suffer a stroke with 1/3 of the victims will die and another 1/3 suffer with permanent disabilities. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked (ischemic stroke) or bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). When brain cells are deprived of blood flow or when unusual intracranial pressure develops, the death of brain cells occurs resulting in the disability or death of the victim.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when the brain is injured by impact, concussion or penetration. Estimated 1.5 million head injuries occur in the U.S. each year as a result of falls, assaults, sports injuries and auto and other accidents. The U.S. military estimates that between 45,000 and 90,000 soldiers suffer from severe and lasting symptoms of brain injury as a result of exposure to explosive blasts.
Research has confirmed that the brain damage continues to evolve over a period of hours and days after the initial insult. TBI follows three principal phases; (1) cell death occurs at the injury site as a direct consequence of the injury, (2) in the secondary phase, restricted blood flow and inflammation deprives the brain tissue of oxygen and further increases intracranial pressure and decreases cerebral blood flow, and (3) in the tertiary phase, chemical and physiological imbalances lead to irreversible tissue damage in areas of the brain distant from the initial injury. A similar “ischemic cascade” takes place in stroke victims. Medical intervention can serve to retard or arrest the secondary and tertiary damage, preserving as much functioning brain tissue as possible following injury or stroke.
Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury Products
