A new perspective on standard care – CDC issues guidelines on mild pediatric brain injuries

There is nothing ‘mild’ about a mild traumatic brain injury, especially when we’re talking about kids. This is something we at Hennepin Healthcare have known for years. And we also know that the number of children getting mild traumatic brain injuries, more commonly referred to as concussions, are on the rise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recently released new guidelines with the goal of improving care for kids with this injury. The guidelines consist of 19 sets of recommendations covering diagnosis, prognosis and management/treatment. The recommendations involve how to counsel patients and families on a gradual return to school and activity; a strength of the Pediatric Brain Injury Program at Hennepin Healthcare, whose members have been providing education on the topic to patients, schools and the community as a whole for years.

And of course, Fox9 came to experts at Hennepin Healthcare and spoke with Dr. Andrew Kiragu to get a better understanding about how the guidelines will improve lives. “It provides some clarity. As a center that takes care of these children, it was good to see that the guidelines match in many ways what we’ve been doing,” said Dr. Kiragu.

You can find great information on the guidelines, as well as other helpful information on brain injuries, on the CDC’s website, or visit our Pediatric Brain Injury Program and the services we offer.