JOHNSTOWN, Pa. A center in Johnstown that helped rehabilitate veterans suffering from brain injuries has closed. The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center located at the Hiram G. Andrews Centerwas apparently shut down last month. And while the Department of Defense says patient care was not affected, it appears dozens of employees may have lost their jobs. 6 News got an exclusive look inside the center in 2011. It housed enough spacious rooms for 20 patients and offered all levels of rehabilitative programs, comprehensive technology and counseling to help veterans suffering from the injuries of war. Now, new of itsclosure comes as a huge disappointment to former patients. "I couldn't have gotten better care," said Kyle Steffen. Steffen said he was treated at the center for about sixmonths after being hit with an I.E.D while on a tour in Afghanistan. "I felt that it really helped me get back on the track," said Steffen. "There were just some different therapies and thingsthat I didn't know about and they really worked with me and they customized it to me." The facility in Johnstown operated with around-the-clock care, helping to re-integratepatients back into the community and back to a normal, civilian life. … Continue reading →

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Huntington Memorial Hospital has become the first hospital in California to acquire wrap-around cooling blankets for use with babies at risk of brain damage. The blankets are used to induce hypothermia, a treatment that may prevent or minimize the long-term consequences of brain injury in newborns. Traditional flat cooling blankets lay under the patient. Conversely, Huntington Hospitals new CureWrap blankets wrap around the babys body and can be positioned as needed. Most importantly the blankets allow parents to hold their babies in their arms during the treatment, which typically lasts four days. With flat blankets parents are not allowed to hold their babies because their body warmth would transfer and interfere with the treatment. When a baby suffers a traumatic brain injury, the body responds in certain ways that can often make the injury more severe, said Jamie W. Powers, M.D., the medical director at Huntington Hospital NICU. Hypothermia may limit some of these harmful responses and improve the outcomes for these tiny patients. Now with our CureWrap blankets, babies and parents are more comfortable; and the cooling process is more precise. Another advantage of CureWrap is that babies are covered up. With a traditional cooling blanket, … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) July 10, 2013 Anecdotal evidence obtained by Neurological Wellness Center physicians appears to confirm this drug combination facilitates improvements in motor impairment, spasticity, sensory impairment and psychological/behavioral function. These drugs are well tolerated, with many patients requesting a continuation of oral minocycline and NAC after completion of their active treatment, according to Rolando Hernandez M.D., neurosurgeon for Neurological Wellness Center "TBI and stroke result in a self-perpetuating cycle of inflammation in the brain. This excess inflammation persists for years or even decades after the injury. This inflammation contributes to a portion of the many impairments our patients experience. Minocycline and NAC reduce inflammation in the brain. Dr. Hernandez believes this drug combination works synergistically with perispinally administered Enbrel. Perispinally administered Enbrel also reduces this inflammation in the brain, facilitating a recovery of function," stated Rolando Hernandez M.D. "Perispinal Enbrel as a TBI and stroke treatment has many attributes. (1) The therapeutic window is wide. A person who's injury occurred a decade ago or even longer may still benefit. (2) The treatment is short term, involving just two to eight injections over a period of eight to forty days, yet the benefits are long lasting. (3) The dosage of Enbrel … Continue reading →

Starting as soon as next month, patients who arrive with a traumatic brain injury to emergency departments at Massachusetts General Hospital or Boston Medical Center could be enrolled in a medical study, possibly without their consent. The trial, which has been approved by institutional review boards at both hospitals, will test whether administering progesterone in the hours immediately after an injury could limit brain damage. Doctors lack proven treatment options for the secondary cascade of injury that follows the initial trauma as cells continue to die, but early studies have shown that the hormone may slow that process. Federal law requires researchers to get approval from the patient or a surrogate before administering an experimental drug. This is the first study approved at Boston hospitals using an exemption created in 1996 to study emergency treatments. The Boston sites will join a national network of 40 hospitals studying the hormone in brain injury. The researchers will obtain consent if the patient can communicate or if family can be located within the hour following the injury. If thats not possible, the medical staff will administer the drug and give the option of pulling out of the trial later. Dr. Elizabeth Hohmann, physician … Continue reading →