For Delaware residents with serious medical afflictions, there is often hope in new medical technologies. Victims of traumatic brain injury, in particular, may be interested in a new naval research endeavor aimed at ultimately helping diagnose and analyze the various effects of brain trauma.
Brain damage is a medically complicated topic, just as brain trauma itself tends to complicate a person’s life, as well as the lives of their loved ones and caretakers. However, the Office of Naval Research is getting behind a new technology known as BLAST, which stands for Blast Load Assessment Sense and Test. This new tool may ease the job of those who are at the forefront of brain injury analysis.
BLAST is essentially a portable system, whereby pressure is measured and thresholds analyzed, helping those who suffered a brain injury know if they need to get medical attention. It can help a person determine if they may have experienced TBI, or traumatic brain injury. If such a person has indeed suffered trauma, he or she can get medical help sooner and decrease the chance of suffering additional trauma and thus more severe brain damage.
In 2011, over 30,000 military veterans were diagnosed with TBI. The large number of veterans with TBI has helped push lawmakers to place TBI research towards the front of their agendas. In fact, the Veterans’ Administration spends over $30 million per year on TBI research. Still, much needs to be done regarding swift, accurate diagnosis of TBI. This type of research can greatly benefit accident victims and sports injury victims as well as veterans.
Source: The Military Times, “Naval Research Set to Tackle Traumatic Brain Injury,” Shawn Snow, Jan. 13, 2017
