Acquired Brain Injury Claims

In the context of medical negligence litigation, acquired brain injuries refer to brain injuries which occur, but which could have been prevented or at least significantly reduced if competent medical care had been provided.

The area of medicine which deals with conditions and diseases of the brain and spinal cord is called Neurology and this encompasses a wide variety of conditions including subarachnoid haemorrhage, meningitis, the common stroke and cerebral abscess. Indeed, a neurological injury can be caused due to a failure to deal with an underlying medical condition e.g. undiagnosed and untreated hypertension and renal failure causing hypertensive encephalopathy, seizures and ultimately brain damage. Alternatively, delay in treatment of uncontrolled hydrocephalus to relieve raised intracranial pressure.

While it may not be possible to prevent some of these conditions from arising in the first instance, in many cases, competent diagnosis and treatment can lead to a much better outcome. A failure to provide adequate medical care can have catastrophic consequences for the person who suffers the brain injury.