Networking Event of Dr. Nasiek: Interactive Presentation on Neurosurgery & Mission of the Hudson Regional Hospital, NJ

Bill Delasi started off the evening speaking on behalf of Hudson Regional Hospital. He explained that HRH is one of Northern New Jersey’s Premier hospitals located in Secaucus, New Jersey. Their mission is to build a healthier community through exceptional care, sophisticated technology, and knowledgeable physicians. They are committed to investing in facility improvements, working with top level physicians, and integrating advanced technologies. They provide their patients with the most sophisticated robotic technologies and treatment modalities. Hudson Regional Hospital offers an array of services and is an in-network facility which works with many insurance plans.

Dr. Tawfik from Uprite Medical followed Mr. DeIasi with an interactive presentation on neurosurgery. As a fellowship-trained Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon, Dr. Tawfik is dedicated to consistently expanding his knowledge in the newest techniques for his patients. While in medical school at Louisiana State University, he successfully completed retrospective and prospective research in functional, cranial, and spine surgery. Dr. Tawfik completed his fellowship at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle, Washington, during which time he was featured in World Neurosurgery for his anatomic study of the nutrient foramina of posterior axis with application to C2 pedicle screw placement. Dr. Tawfik has also published landmark research regarding the anatomical study of the extreme lateral transpsoas lumbar interbody fusion approach, which is referenced and utilized in surgery amongst neurosurgeons around the globe. Dr. Tawfik specializes in cervical and lumbar spine procedures such as discectomy, fusion, arthroplasty, laminectomy and many more. Dr. Tawfik’s office is located in Totowa, NJ.

Dr. Nasiek concluded the evenings presentations with a very informative talk on Traumatic Brain Injury. In his presentation, Dr. Nasiek explained that in the United States approximately 1.4 million people annually sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In many instances, TBI is a co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a disorder common among soldiers and lay people, complicating recovery.

Dr. Nasiek explained that mild TBI is often missed when presenting in the emergency room. Emergency department clinicians miss 56% of mild TBI in their patients often because of their use of MRI, which is not the most sensitive modality to diagnose TBI. Routine MRIs fail to reveal any abnormalities in the mildest cases of TBI. Although the vast majority of TBI patients recover, a significant minority suffer from persistent post-concussion syndrome (PCS). Most young people who sustain a concussion during active play or sports naturally progress from the injury through a period of symptom resolution, followed by return to full normal activities. In 80 to 90% of cases, individuals' symptoms resolved within two weeks. In 10 to 20% of individuals concussive symptoms persist for a number of weeks, months, or even years. These individuals may be said to be experiencing PCS.

In addition to the above, traumatic brain injury may also pose an increased risk for other health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, cerebral vascular disease, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and dementia. Dementia risk is 2.4 times higher in patients with mild TBI and 3.8 times higher in patients with moderate to severe TBI. Moderate to severe TBI is a chronic disease that leads to medical and psychiatric disorders as well as dementia. Because of the increase of medical issues that may stem from TBI, it is important to get the best quality tests for diagnosis and care afterwards. At Allied Neurology & Interventional Pain we use a myriad of tests to diagnose TBI, including EEGs and Tele-EEGs.

Everyone in attendance of Dr. Nasiek’s Medico Legal Networking Dinner had a wonderful time. Aside from the educational presentations, the medical and legal community alike enjoyed delicious food, plenty of networking, and the space to discuss medical legal issues with peers.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday August 25th at 7PM at the same location, The Royal Warsaw Restaurant in Elmwood Park, NJ. A big thank you to Hudson Regional Hospital and Uprite Medical for sponsoring this very successful event. We would also like to thank all our friends, contributors, and professional family for making these events such a huge success.