The National Institute for Neurological Injuries says between 8% – 10% of all traumatic brain injuries are moderate or severe brain injuries.

Individuals undergo various tests in order to determine and rate the severity of the brain injury.

For example, if post-injury amnesia lasts between 1 hour and 24 hours, the injury rating is typically listed as being moderate.

Length of unconsciousness is another aspect that is used to rate traumatic brain injuries.

If the unconsciousness lasts longer than 20 minutes, but not longer than six hours, that indicates a moderate traumatic brain injury occurred.

If a person loses consciousness for more than six hours that would generally indicate a severe traumatic brain injury.

Coma duration also indicates the severity of a brain injury.

Less than 20 minutes coma duration specifies a mild traumatic brain injury, while greater than six hours of coma length points to a severe traumatic brain injury.

There are many symptoms and side effects from a moderate traumatic brain injury:

• Changes in sleep patterns,
• fatigue,
• headache,
• difficulty with memory and  concentration,
• attention deficits,
• problems with independence

Most individuals who sustain a moderate traumatic brain injury say it is difficult to return to their pre-injury state.

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Severe traumatic brain injuries are becoming an increasing problem for society and the health care profession. Families of individuals with a traumatic brain injury undergo intense financial and emotional distress.

As indicated above, where a patient sustains post traumatic amnesia (PTA) lasting from one to seven days, their injury can be considered severe.

The scale for traumatic brain injuries extends further.  When the PTA is between one to four weeks, the traumatic brain injury is “very severe”, and where the PTA period is over four weeks, the traumatic brain injury can be considered “extremely severe.”

Severe traumatic brain injuries can have significant emotional, cognitive, vocational, and psychosocial effects, including difficulty with independent living and family relationships, for years after the injury.

Usually, individuals that have a severe traumatic brain injury display dysfunction in virtually all areas of cognition including:

• Motor Function Problems
• Frontal Lobe Syndrome/Executive Dysfunction
• Attention and Memory Deficits
• Speech/Language Difficulties
• Smell/Taste Difficulties
• Seizure Disorder
• Emotional/Psychiatric Overlay
• Other Physical Injury

TBI can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for such conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age. Very severe TBI can leave the patient in a coma or vegetative state, requiring years of nursing home care.

Even a mild TBI – classified as loss of consciousness or confusion/disorientation lasting less than 30 minutes – can have long-standing aftereffects. While MRI and CAT scans are often normal, the patient may experience headache, difficulty thinking, memory problems, attention deficits, mood swings and frustration, among other symptoms, for weeks or even months after the injury. Repeated mild TBI occurring over months or years can cause cumulative neurological and cognitive deficits. If repeated over a short period of time (hours, days or weeks), they can be catastrophic, even fatal.

The South Carolina Traumatic Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC offer a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case.