Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Dr Sarla Menon, neurosurgeon and former medical superintendent of Kasturba Hospital (BHEL), said brain injuries were a major cause of death in motorcycle accidents. Free Press talked to Dr Sarla Menon about brain and spinal cord injuries.
Head injuries are reported in road accidents. How do you deal with such incidents?
Drunk driving is major cause for head injuries. Brain injuries are major cause of deaths. Parents should consistently monitor their graduating children to be careful and cautious. Most colleges have hostels in campus. There, the college management should monitor the activities of undergraduate students. Once they complete graduation, students become mature and they understand pros and cons. Similarly, gutkha and tobacco are being consumed by students and parents hardly pay attention. Government should keep a check on gutkha with chemicals that cause addiction among youths.
What is a traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to a brain injury that is caused by an outside force. The symptoms include headache, convulsions or seizures, blurred or double vision, unequal eye pupil size or dilation, fluids draining from the nose or ears, nausea and vomiting.
The behavioural symptoms include loss of or change in consciousness, confusion or disorientation, problem in remembering, concentrating or making decision, difficulty in falling or staying asleep, inability to wake up, frustration, irritability. Other symptoms are dizziness, vertigo, or loss of balance, hearing problems such as ringing in the ears, unexplained bad taste in the mouth, sensitivity to light or sound, mood changes or swings, agitation, combativeness, or other unusual behaviour.
What infrastructure and facilities are available to treat critical head injuries?
CT scan and MRI facilities are basic facilities. If these facilities are available at civil hospitals, road accidents and cases like head injuries will be redressed. Brain injuries are a significant concern for bikers as they are often exposed to high-impact collisions and can suffer severe injuries.
Travel time from accident to hospitals is crucial in case of head injuries specially when road accidents occur in remote areas. How do you deal in cases of late arrival of injured?
If injured are brought to hospitals with test report within 4-6 hours, chances for survival are bright. But problem is that injured are moved here and there, which consumes too much time. Injuries with CT/ MRI report should be brought within 4 hours to hospitals.
After surgery, people continue to face problems in life?
Even after surgery, people may face problems as it depends on severity of the head injuries or brain injuries. If injuries are minor, people can recover soon but if injuries are severe, complete recovery is difficult even after brain surgery. Even after successful surgery, people face speech problems, difficulty in hearing and headache.
