From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places that we believe will interest our readers. Today’s op-ed originally appeared on Roll Call. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.), co-chair and founder of the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force, and Vishal Bansal, MD, FACS, discuss the need for more than brain injury awareness — the need for new treatment.
Each March, Brain Injury Awareness Month promotes learning more about brain injury and ending its dangerous effects. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons puts annual direct and indirect costs of the full spectrum of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) — from mild to severe — at $48 billion to $56 billion in 2019 and $76.5 billion today. More than 3 million patients visit hospital emergency rooms with suspected TBI annually.
Rep. Pascrell and Dr. Bansal state, “We have achieved widespread acknowledgment in recent years that TBI is a public health issue that contributes to disability and death. Yet, little has changed in the standard of care for concussions as the medical community is still striving for therapy that would treat both the symptoms and the underlying concussion. We can do more and should do better.”
Despite progress, concussions are still a significant unmet medical need. The authors conclude the op-ed by stating that more resources are needed today to support cutting-edge research and development for effective treatments for concussion.
Click here to read the full article.
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