Bob Saget’s death points to hidden dangers of head trauma

Following news Wednesday that Bob Saget hit his head and died of head trauma while alone in a Florida hotel room, doctors have said that people should remain vigilant after hitting their head.

They shouldn’t necessarily worry that any minor hit will be catastrophic or fatal, but they should tell someone, call a doctor or try not to be alone if they experience certain symptoms, according to experts who spoke to People magazine.

Joshua Marcus, a Connecticut-based neurosurgeon told People that those symptoms include loss of consciousness, even if it’s brief, and “any type of confusion” or memory loss about the event occurs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said 911 should be called or a person should go to an emergency room if they have a headache that gets worse and won’t go away. Other symptoms that should raise an alarm are nausea, vomiting, weakness, numbness, decreased coordination, slurred speech, convulsions and seizures.

Saget’s family released a statement to the media Wednesday, saying that authorities had determined that the “Full House” star died Jan. 9 at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida of head trauma.

“They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved,” the family said in a statement.

On the Saturday night before his death, Saget performed a two-hour set at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall near Jacksonville, Florida. Saget shared a selfie following the show and praised the “really nice audience,” adding, “Lots of positivity.”

In the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 9, Saget talked to his wife, Kelly Rizzo, by phone, a source told People in January. Saget “was so excited coming off of a great show and he sounded really happy,” the source said. He also was scheduled to fly home that Sunday. When Rizzo didn’t hear from him on Sunday, she called the hotel and security was sent up to his room.

In light of the news of Saget’s head injury, people on social media recalled the sudden death of actress Natasha Richardson. She died in 2009 after bumping her head when she fell while skiing down a bunny slope in Canada. She initially laughed it off, but hours later, a crushing headache signaled an epidural hematoma, blood accumulating between the skull and the dura membrane covering the brain.

At the time, neurologists called the rapid onset of dangerous bleeding in Richardson’s case uncommon. They also were careful to point out that most routine head bumps aren’t dangerous. Still, they cited Richardson’s situation as an example of how the seeming severity of an incident doesn’t predict the outcome or duration of symptoms.

Traumatic brain injuries are a major cause of death and disability in the United States, according to the CDC. They led to about 223,050 hospitalizations in 2018 and about 60,611 deaths in 2019.

Viet Nguyen, a neurologist with Stanford Health Care, told this news organization in 2016 that many patients hurt themselves in what he calls “nondramatic incidents.”

“I had a lady who hurt her head falling out of a bed,” he said. He also said it’s not well understood why some people easily recover from brain injuries sustained in car crashes or other major incidents, while others suffer devastating injuries or long-term disability after what seem to be mild hits.

“It is probably a combination of the mechanism of injury, pre-existing medical conditions and genetics,” he says. Certainly, the medical care people receive is an important factor, which is why he and others stress the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

CNN Medical Analyst Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, told People that when you hit your head, you could have bleeding in different ways, including an epidural hematoma, which Richardson died of. People can also suffer a subdural hematoma, when blood accumulates inside the dura membrane but still outside the brain.

The autopsy for Saget has not been released, so Wen and other experts can’t speculate on what happened to him or comment on the exact nature of his injury. People magazine also reported that it’s unclear when or how Saget hit his head, and whether or not he experienced any disorientation or other symptoms before going to sleep.

But in light of Saget’s death, it’s important for people who suffer a substantial injury to tell someone or call a doctor if they’re particularly worried, Wen told People. Wen also said it’s important for certain people to err on the side of the caution: Those who are on blood thinners or who are older, which can increase the risk of bleeding in the brain.

“But you should at least tell someone, and don’t be alone,” she said. “That way, somebody can help to monitor you and make sure that you’re OK.”