On Monday, Natasha Richardson sustained an epidural hematoma, a type of traumatic head injury, when she fell while taking a skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec, Canada. Immediately following the fall she experienced what is known as ‘talk and die syndrome’. On March 18, 2009 she died from the blunt trauma to her head.
According to PHYSORG.com,
A patient comes into the emergency room talking and then rapidly deteriorates” as blood pools and puts pressure on brain tissue… A CT scan is the best way to diagnose a brain injury, said Dr. Ashesh Mehta, a neurosurgeon at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Like other doctors, he said anyone who has had a blow to the head should be watched for changes in his or her condition.
Statistics show the number one cause of death in people under 45 in the U.S. are head injuries. Approximately, 50,000 people die each year from traumatic head injuries. Signs and symptoms of talk and die syndrome are,
- sudden and severe headache
- dizziness
- loss of balance
- nausea
- projectile vomiting
- and other neurological symptoms
Head injuries have always scared me. Every time my lil’ guy has fallen and hit his head, I’ve had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Now hearing about ‘talk and die syndrome’, I’ll be even worse.
My heart goes out to Natasha Richardson’s family. She is about my age and as a mother, it really hits home. I always hate thinking about something happening to me and leaving my son without a mother. It is such a tragic loss.
To learn more about Natasha Richardson and her life you can check it out at Wikipedia.
I will keep her husband, Liam Neeson, her two sons and the rest of the Redgrave family in my thoughts and prayers.