A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) in the Columbus Children’s Research Institute at Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio states that traumatic brain injury in infants leads to $1 billion annually in medical fees. Researchers obtained this number by analyzing data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database. These statistics were collected from January 1 through December 31 in the year 2000, from 1,784 hospitals in 27 states.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are fairly common, with an estimated 50,658 cases in children 17 and younger reported in the data collected from 2000 alone. TBI is horrifyingly common among small children of this day and age. It can come in the form of a skull fracture, intracranial bleeding, concussion, and shaken baby syndrome. The study showed that TBI is among the top 10 most costly hospital outpatient diagnoses for children.
Study senior author and CIRP director Dr. Gary Smith said in a prepared statement that “injury costs for children are often greater than those for adults because they include acute treatment, long-term rehabilitation and loss of productivity for the parent or guardian. TBIs resulting from unintentional trauma constitute the primary cause of death among U.S. youth and are often the most serious consequences of nonfatal injuries.”
If you or someone you know has suffered a traumatic brain injury, do not hesitate to contact a personal injury lawyer specializing in TBI law and medical malpractice. Jim S. Adler of Houston, Texas has years of experience in dealing with traumatic brain injury cases.
