A
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
,
Dallas
,
TX
75235
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- Main Retail Café: Mon - Sun | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Starbucks Café: WISH Building | Mon - Fri | 5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Park Market Café: Mon - Fri | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. | 8 p.m. - 4 a.m. | Sat -Sun | 7 p.m. - 4 a.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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- Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday: Closed
- Holiday hours may be different
Posted: 9/15/2014
Car crashes, falls are major contributor to injuries
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S., contributing to about 30 percent of all fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At Parkland Memorial Hospital, 37 percent of patients diagnosed with TBI are the result of a motor vehicle crash.
A TBI is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head, however, result in a TBI. The severity may range from mild – a brief change in mental status or consciousness to severe – an extended period of unconsciousness or memory loss after the injury. Most TBIs that occur each year are mild and are commonly referred to as concussions. With youth and professional football in full swing, local teams as well as those across the nation are putting a renewed emphasis on the dangers of concussions and TBIs.
In 2013, 814 patients were diagnosed with some form of TBI in the Trauma Center at Parkland. Although motor vehicle crashes were the primary cause, injuries also occurred from falls (22 percent) , assaults (12 percent) and motorcycle crashes (9 percent).
“It’s easy to understand how a person may suffer a brain injury from a car crash,” said Alexander Eastman, MD, Parkland’s Interim Trauma Medical Director. “But a serious injury can occur from a fall or in a football game so it’s critically important that a person go to the nearest emergency department if they’ve sustained a blow to the head.”
In 2010, there were about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations or deaths associated with TBI, either alone or in combination with other injuries in the U.S. Those injuries, according to the CDC, contributed to the deaths of more than 50,000 people. Over the past decade, while rates of TBI-related ED visits increased by 70 percent, hospitalization rates only increased by 11 percent and death rates decreased by 7 percent.
Among TBI-related deaths from 2006-2010, the CDC reports that men were nearly three times as likely to die as women. Rates were highest for persons 65 years and older, with falls being the leading cause of death for persons in that age category. Among the non-fatal TBI-related injuries for the same time period, men had higher rates of hospitalizations and ED visits than women. The leading cause of TBI-related hospitalizations varied by age: falls were the leading cause among children 0-14 and adults 45 years and older. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of hospitalizations for adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 44 years.
“One key to preventing a traumatic brain injury is to take steps that will help prevent or reduce the severity of the injury,” Dr. Eastman said. “Wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or bike will protect the head in case of a crash or fall. Even making sure area rugs don’t ‘slide’ will lessen the chances of someone slipping and hitting their head or breaking a bone.”
Dr. Eastman added that early intervention is key to ensuring that a person doesn’t sustain any long-term consequences from a TBI, regardless of the severity. “It’s better to get checked out at your nearest emergency department than risk what could be a potentially life-threatening injury.”
For more information about the Trauma Center at Parkland, visit http://www.parklandhospital.com/phhs/emergency-care.aspx