Alcohol Use in Older Adults Doubles Risk of Brain Bleeds from Falls

Little is known about the association between the frequency of alcohol use and the severity of injuries sustained after a fall in older adults. A study of 3,128 older adults who underwent an initial head CT scan in the emergency department after head trauma from a fall shows that occasional alcohol use was associated with double the odds of a brain bleed when compared to patients with no alcohol use. Daily alcohol use was associated with 150% increased odds of a brain bleed.

Ace High School Pitcher Thriving Despite Hydrocephalus

CHLA is at the forefront of research into endoscopic third ventriculostomy with choroid plexus cauterization (ETV+CPC) as part of a clinical trial funded by the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN), a network of 14 pediatric neurosurgery centers that includes Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The trial, titled “Endoscopic Versus Shunt Treatment of Hydrocephalus in Infants,” is evaluating the effectiveness of shunts versus ETV-CPC in infants with hydrocephalus.