As a brain injury attorney knows, one of the scariest things about a mild traumatic brain injury after a severe car accident is that victims themselves may not be aware of their injuries, and yet prompt treatment is essential for a full recovery. Without a thorough evaluative schema, brain injury victims will frequently present at emergency rooms and be turned away—or never even go to the emergency room in the first place. Fortunately, brain injury attorney work has assured that treatment centres in Ontario use rigorous guidelines when assessing serious brain injury.
The Canadian CT Head Rule
Aside from the delayed onset of symptoms, many patients also deny or downplay their symptoms, as they aren’t willing to admit that they’ve suffered a serious injury and need help. Since conducting a CT scan on every single patient in the ER would be a waste of time and resources, researchers have designed the Canadian CT Head Rule, a standardized tool for deciding whether a patient needs a CT scan.
Canadian CT Head Rule Guidelines
Doctors will conduct a CT scan if:
- The patient scores lower than 15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale;
- There are suspected open or depressed skull fractures;
- The patient has two or more episodes of vomiting;
- The patient is 65 years of age or older;
- The patient has difficulty remembering events 30 or more minutes before the accident; or
- There was a dangerous aspect to the injury (e.g. the patient was a pedestrian directly struck by a vehicle, was ejected from their vehicle, fell from more than five feet, etc.)
Seek out a Toronto personal injury lawyer for a free consultation if you believe your first responding doctor incorrectly assessed your injuries. A brain injury attorney can be the difference between an easy recovery and getting lost in medical bills.
Source:
http://casem-acmse.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ONF_concussion_mTBI_Guidelines_2nd_Edition_COMPLETE.pdf