have to do is ad to our facebook page and let Good morning, welcome back it’s
now 8.40 several us service
members were injured during
last week’s missile attack on
an air base in Iraq.
An official says 11 American
soldiers were treated for
concussions and some are still
being assessed.
The Iranians launched 16
missiles at 2 bases in
retaliation for the US air
strikes that killed an Iranian
commander here to tell us more
about concussions is the chief
neurosurgeon at Memorial
Hospital doctor Stevenson
Valley. Thank you so much for
coming in and talking with us
this Saturday morning.
You know this was something
that we’re talking about in the
newsroom yesterday.
Initially we were reporting per
US troops, including the
president. There were no
injuries.
Equated to this attack
associated with this attack
turns out a week later 2 weeks
later, we’re learning of
several U S troops being
injured but concussions
could it be is this is this
associated with concussions no
initial symptoms on the onset
well first thank you for having
me here they yeah absolutely I
mean it’s reasonable for them
to have not known this
initially so a concussion is a
alteration in your
mental status. After a
traumatic injury or force
applied
your head. And you can be right
away or a can be hours to days
later. So their initial
assessments was probably
everybody safe, nobody’s lost
limbs had cuts Burns, whatever
from the blast. And now
they’re seeing the blast effect
so these
these explosions that are at
distance from the the armed
forces but the shockwaves still
transmitting through the
structures and into the patient
hitting their brain.
You know this type injury has
often been called the signature
injury of the Iraq and Afghan
wars we’ve over the last 1314
years we’ve had the US Army
armed forces have
reported over.
>> 300,000 brain injuries, the
bulk of those being concussions
you know people have had.
An altered mental status from
this kind of force applied to
them.
>> Within weeks talking about
this specific airstrike we’ve
gone from 0
patients to now 11 do you
suspect from afar where you’re
standing. This number will
increase when talking about
this attack.
>> Well, it certainly could and
the other factor girls because
it concussion can cause
alterations and behavior
anxiety stress depression, your
ability. Some of the things
that might be labeled as PTSD
may be concussions in drones
there’s overlap between the 2
so some of these things may
manifest a little further down
the line early speed diagnose
will really you resulted in
this injury from the blast
effect you define what a
concussion is let’s talk about
symptoms for folks here at
home. Sure so
here at home we unfortunately
will have some of the patients
who will hat been
injured in in the conflicts
overseas because where a
military town. But the bulk of
the injuries that will see like
this in town will be sports
reports right so there’s no
300,000 type of concussions
like this from sports in the
United States year. You might
see a a patient may stick to
the event they may not know
what happened to them in that
moment, they may have
alterations in their speech
they may have dexterity issues
coordination issues
they could be more irritable
they could have difficulty
sleeping headache nausea
vomiting. So certainly if
you’ve had a traumatic injury a
car accident a
impact on the sports field
something along those lines and
you or your loved one your
friend is acting differently
doesn’t recall everything you
want to get them to a medical
specialist to be evaluated and
at what
point should that come into
play at what point should you
say hey we’re going to the dock
as soon as you realize that
type of changes taking place
you want to get somebody
involved whether it’s in
teas or a sports team physician
at the field or go to the local
you are or your primary care
doctors to pay
seem stale because it’s not
just the concussion, it’s that
there could be other injuries
that could be going on the run
aware of that could be more
life threatening. The other
thing to consider is sometimes
because these are just
transiting events people will
say oh well. So when John
got better, we’ll let it go but
you’re at a higher risk of that
second concussion in
short order and that second
concussion what a force that
may not have caused much damage
to before.
As a second hit can cause much
more severe permanent damage to
and being an athlete I recall
back in those days.
Our parents telling us never to
go to sleep. They were all year
they were always check our the
dilation in
our eyes as to its situation
she I if you think somebody has
some of caution you may be
doing what are called one hour
checks to see if the patients
alert conscious.
Not necessarily that you’re
just looking for a concussion
but you’re looking for more
severe brain injury that would
have to potentially require
someone like me to operate.
Doctors Valley for more
information on concussions
where can people go.
You can go to
hospitals at the site on the
Web and you can also get a
memorial near