Acute Headache May Be A Medical Emergency

Acute headache may be a medical emergency

 Acute headache can be a medical emergency because it may be a sign of subarachnoid hemorrhage (brain bleeding) which can result in devastating injury or death.  When a patient has an acute headache, tests are needed to determine whether it is being caused by bleeding in the brain.  Tests include CT scan and lumbar puncture.

A new research study has found that certain signs and symptoms that accompany acute headaches are predictive of a brain hemorrhage. 

Patients who present with nontraumatic headaches that peak within 1 hour and who have any of the following signs and symptoms must be assessed for dangerous brain hemorrhage:

* 1: Patient is over age 40, complaint of neck pain or stiffness, witnessed loss of consciousness, onset of headache with exertion.  or

* 2: Patient arrives at hospital by ambulance, age over 45, vomiting at least once, diastolic blood pressure greater than 100 mm Hg. or

* 3: Patient arrives at hospital by ambulance, systolic blood pressure over 160 mm Hg, complaint of neck pain or stiffness, age 45–55

If you have any concerns that you or a loved one has been misdiagnosed or that medical personnel failed to diagnose a brain hemorrhage, contact Berger & Lagnese, LLC for a free, no obligation consultation.

Get compassionate and informative, free with no obligation consultations with the experienced plaintiffs’ attorneys at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC, P.C., located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Call us from your local number at (412) 471-4300. We are located in downtown Pittsburgh in the Grant Building on Grant Street, directly adjacent to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.