There’s a lot of talk now about concussions, but physicians are only beginning to understand best practices for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

“Concussion Update 2015: What We Know, What We Think We Know, and What We Don’t Know” will share literature-based information on this controversial subject, said Andrew D. Perron, MD, FACEP, professor and residency program director in the department of emergency medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

One point to keep in mind during the session is there’s more that physicians don’t know about concussions than they actually do know—and that frustrates many people, Dr. Perron said.

“There is a huge amount of new information coming along all the time,” he said. “The purpose of my talk is to take away a little bit of the bias, sensationalism, and lore associated with concussions and look at the relatively small amount of science.”

Much of the guidance on concussions comes from consensus statements, which naturally fall prey to compromises that are formed by experiential thought and anecdotes, Dr. Perron said. Instead, he believes that ED physicians and the medical field in general need more concrete, evidence-based guidance in this area.

Another area Dr. Perron will discuss is concussion epidemiology. For instance, although it appears that there are more concussions nowadays, it may actually be there is just more awareness and reporting of them when they happen.

He will also share information on sports that are more commonly associated with concussions and other sports team–related factors that are often linked to concussions.

In addition, Dr. Perron will address how ED physicians can stay more aware of even subtle concussion signs and symptoms and will look ahead to where concussion evaluation may be going in the future.

Vanessa Caceres is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

Dr. Perron

Concussion Update 2015: What We Know, What We Think We Know, and What We Don’t Know

Thursday, Oct. 29
11–11:50 a.m.
Room 210 ABC