Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog
There are a variety of causes of brain injuries. The common thread that binds most of them together is the need for extensive medical care after the injury. For many Washington patients, that means long stays in hospitals or rehabilitation centers. While these patients often spend a lot of time in bed, a recent study suggests that these patients should get out of bed and start moving as soon as possible.
As part of the study, several hundred patients were followed after they had incurred a brain injury. More than half of those studied got out of bed as early as the first day when they were admitted into the intensive care unit. The study noted that the patients that got up and moving that early fared better than those who remained in bed for prolonged periods of time.
Some of the benefits noted included less time on the ventilator and fewer pressure sores for the patients who get moving faster. It isn’t always easy to get brain injury patients up and moving. In some cases, it can take multiple workers and considerable time to get the patient out of bed. Even then, if it is beneficial to get the patient up and moving, staff members should work to do just that.
People who have incurred a serious brain injury often face significant medical and rehabilitation expenses and a lengthy period of recovery that will preclude them from earning a living. If the injury was caused by the negligence of another party, the victim may want to speak with an attorney to see if there are ways to seek compensation for the losses that have been incurred.