

Saget had accidentally hit the back of his head. Saget’s family nor the medical examiner offered details on Wednesday about precisely how the head injury had killed him. data indicate that men are at higher risk than women. People 75 and older account for roughly one-third of head trauma-related hospitalizations, the agency said, though experts said they tend to apply extra caution to any patients who are at least 60 years old. warns that traumatic brain injuries can be overlooked in older people when the symptoms overlap with those seen in other common ailments, like dementia. On the other hand, he said, “If you hit your head and have lingering symptoms, like a headache or confusion, that requires medical attention - especially if you’re on a blood thinner.”

Jeffrey Bazarian, an emergency physician and concussion expert at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “There’s no need to call the doctor after a little bump,” said Dr. Britz said that he would counsel people who get a significant knock to the head to see a doctor or, short of that, to ask someone to track their symptoms and even wake them up occasionally at night for monitoring.īrain injury experts also emphasized that the presence of symptoms usually indicated whether medical help was needed. Gavin Britz, the chair in neurosurgery at Houston Methodist.ĭr. “If you have a head injury, you never - and I mean never - be by yourself for the first 24 hours,” said Dr. There was no evidence of illegal drugs in his system, the medical examiner said. The local medical examiner’s office announced on Wednesday that his death resulted from “blunt head trauma,” and said that “his injuries were most likely incurred from an unwitnessed fall.” Saget had been in an Orlando hotel room during a weekend of stand-up comedy acts when he was found unresponsive. More Americans are being prescribed these drugs as the population ages. Saget was taking blood thinners, experts said the medications can greatly accelerate the type of bleeding after a head injury that forces the brain downward and compresses the centers that regulate breathing and other vital functions. Those symptoms, in turn, can stand in the way of getting help.Īnd while there was no indication that Mr. Someone with a head injury can lose touch with their usual decision-making capacities and become confused, agitated or unusually sleepy. Saget experienced, doctors said.Īs serious a risk factor as any, doctors said, is simply being alone. But certain situations put people at higher risk for the sort of deterioration that Mr.
