Surgery for brain injuries should not be delayed

I refer to the report “Malaysia’s MOH dismisses claims of delay in medical help for Singaporean accident victim” (Sept 1, online) and offer my sympathies to Justinian Tan’s family and friends.

My aunt died in hospital three days after a fall. On the day she fell and hit her head on the floor at home, she experienced a loss of consciousness for a few minutes.

When she came to and the ambulance arrived, she refused to go into hospital, as she did not feel unwell any more. She went in for brain surgery only after she became ill 24 hours later.

From her unfortunate death, I learnt that patients having head injuries with internal bleeding and blood clots should be sent for surgery at the earliest opportunity.

They do not have the luxury of time because doctors cannot do much in the operating theatre when the patient’s brain becomes too swollen after the onset of the injury.

In other words, delays in undergoing surgery would reduce the chances of survival and recovery for patients who have severe bleeding and blood clots in the brain together with a preceding loss of consciousness.

It is imperative that a patient’s relatives are aware that such injuries present a limited and brief window for a successful intervention.

They must make a quick decision to give doctors permission to proceed with surgery for a better outcome.