Brain Injury Surgery Could Be Deadly in Elderly Patients
As Indiana brain injury lawyers, we know that in many cases, surgery soon after a traumatic brain injury, can enhance the person’s chances of survival and facilitate a quicker return to a normal life. A new study shows that brain injury surgery can also be helpful in elderly patients, but it also comes with certain risks, especially within the first year after the surgery.
Out of the elderly patients in the study who had surgery after brain injury, approximately one third died in the hospital after surgery. Further, about 50% of the patients died within one year after surgery. That doesn't mean however that brain surgery does not benefit seniors. Among those elderly patients that had brain surgery, and were monitored over a period of 42 months, there were favorable outcomes. Two thirds of the survivors of brain injury surgery had a favorable outcome as seen over 42 months. This was demonstrated by their Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score of at least five. Overall, the researchers say that they are happy with what they saw in elderly patients with brain surgery over an extended period of time of several months, but the results for patients over a period of one year, were a little disappointing.
There also seem to be a lot of other factors that determine outcomes for elderly patients with brain injury who have surgery. For instance, patients who were admitted to the hospital in a conscious state were much more likely to have favorable outcomes, then those who were unconscious when they were taken to the hospital. Besides, the degree of independence at the time of discharge from the hospital also seems to play a big role in the type of outcome.
Brain injuries among the elderly can be caused due to slip and fall accidents, or as a result of high impact auto accidents including car/truck/motorcycle accidents in Indiana. These can also be the result of violence, assaults and gunshots.
