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Medical Negligence
Compensation Amounts
Negligence Law
Brain Haemorrhage
Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
Subdural Haemorrhage
Brain Aneurysm
Mild Brain Injury
Severe Brain Injury

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SUBDURAL HAEMORRHAGE SOLICITORS - MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM

HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 633 634

A subdural haematoma involves a collection of bleeding lying on the surface of the brain. It usually the result of having a severe head injury, such as with a fall, a motor vehicle accident or a sports injury. If the subdural haematoma is acute, it can be very dangerous-even deadly. The bleeding rapidly fills the spaces in the skull and around the brain, increasing the pressure in the brain and causing death from herniation of the brain. The brain is frequently injured with occasional permanent results.

In the elderly, subdural haematoma can occur after a minor fall or other injury. They can be subacute or chronic and can lead to changes in gait and personality. The elderly person may develop dementia-like symptoms that are written off to old age. Only through thorough testing can the diagnosis of chronic subdural haemorrhage be made. If you think that your condition has worsened as a result of medical negligence, contact our subdural haemorrhage solicitors for advice at no cost.

The cause of a subdural haematoma is the bleeding of the small blood vessels that connect the brain to the overlying covering or dura. The vessels stretch and tear after an injury so that blood collects within the space. In the elderly, the veins are already stretched because the individual has an atrophied brain that is shrunken into the space between the brain and the dura mater.

Sometimes a subdural haematoma happens in the absence of an injury. This can occur when the person is on anticoagulant therapy due to other reasons, is a long term drinker, suffers from recurrent falls (such as in an alcoholic), has repeated head injury (such as a football player) or someone who is very young or very old.

The symptoms of a subdural haematoma include confusion, speech abnormalities, balance or walking difficulties, severe headache, loss of consciousness, lethargy, vomiting and nausea, seizures, numbness of a part of the body, weakness, visual changes, or slurring of speech.

If a subdural haematoma occurs in an infant, the symptoms can be different and can include the presence of a bulging fontanelle, which is one of the soft spots of the skull. There can be focal seizures and difficulty feeding. The cry can be high pitched and there can be a sudden increase in head circumference. Generalized seizures are also possible and the baby may seem to be lethargic. There is persistent vomiting, irritability and separation of the sutures of the skull.

Doctors need a relatively quick diagnosis of a subdural haematoma, especially if the situation represents an acute subarachnoid bleed. There should be a complete physical and neurological exam. Sometimes bruising can be seen in the area of trauma. The doctor might find confusion in the speech or an inability to speak; there can be problems with walking or balance; a headache can be asked about; there can be loss of consciousness or lethargy. The doctor may find localized numbness of a body area as well as nausea and vomiting. In an elderly person, there can be a sudden or relatively sudden loss of cognition.

Other tests that can be done include a CT scan or MRI scan of the brain, which can show up areas of bleeding in a subdural haematoma. It can also show the degree of pressure on the brain.

The treatment of subdural haemorrhage includes emergency craniotomy to take extra bleeding and pressure off the brain. It may be enough to drill a small hole on the side of the subdural haematoma so that the blood can flow outward. Mannitol is used to control swelling on the brain and medications for seizures and pain need to be given. If the person is unconscious, there may be a need for ventilator support. Blood pressure needs to be decreased so that the flow of blood through the brain is under less pressure. Corticosteroids are used to decrease the pressure and inflammation on the brain.

Both subdural haemorrhage which is often slowly evolving, frequently starting after trauma to the head and extradural haemorrhage which usually occurs after a head injury are often not diagnosed resulting in serious subsequent injury or death.

SOLICITORS HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 633 634

Medical Negligence Solicitors

If you would like legal advice at no cost about claiming compensation for a subdural haemorrhage just use the helpline, complete the contact form or email our solicitors offices and a specialist medical negligence solicitor will telephone you with no further obligation. Following a review of the circumstances of the injury and of the medical records you will be advised whether you have a reasonable claim and if so, what steps you should take to protect your legal right to receive compensation. All of our subdural haemorrhage solicitors use no win no fee arrangements to represent their clients which means that if your subdural haemorrhage solicitor doesn't achieve settlement then he doesn't get paid his professional costs and the client does not receive a bill for legal costs.

HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 633 634

The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here