Is the Defendant Drunk or Concussed? {DUI/Gen Med}

If a person who is charged with a DUI and has a concussion, a review of the medical records by an expert can determine if the defendant has either: Concussion overview Concussion is a form of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) in which the brain is impacted sufficiently to result in neurological symptoms but not Read More...

Medical Records: Emergency Dept.

If you’re looking for a list of injuries, as you commonly are in criminal law, you will look at the emergency department (ED or ER) reports and/or the ambulance reports. Ambulance/Fire: The vast majority of the time, I have to request that the ambulance and/or fire records be subpoenaed. This is a great source of Read More...

Burns: Initial Treatment

  • March 11, 2016 at 11:30 am
It is important to obtain and review medical records from the ambulance crew and emergency department in burn cases. The first responders will obtain information about the details of the fire, injuries and medical history. This information is needed for management of the injuries. Demographic data such as height, weight and age are important. The Read More...

What to ask if you have a brain bleed case

  • February 27, 2015 at 6:30 am
Legal implications – civil: Non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (stroke): For cases involving warfarin or Coumadin- was the patient’s lab work such as PT/INR adequately monitored? If the patient was suffering from Coumadin toxicity, what was the treatment? Was the blood pressure controlled according to guidelines? Did the patient develop hemorrhage after receiving treatment for ischemic stroke? Read More...

What are three main kinds of brain bleeding?

  • February 20, 2015 at 6:30 am
Types of hemorrhage Epidural hemorrhage is bleeding between the skull and outer covering of the brain, the dura matter.  Epidural hemorrhages are frequently caused from a blunt trauma from an assault, fall or other accident.  Approximately 17% of patients with epidural hemorrhage will deteriorate to coma following trauma. A subdural hematoma is a collection of Read More...