David S. Kushner

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation efficacy in acute stroke feeding tube-dependent dysphagia during inpatient rehabilitation.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in addition to traditional dysphagia therapy (TDT) including progressive resistance training (PRT) with that of TDT/PRT alone during inpatient rehabilitation for treatment of feeding tube–dependent dysphagia in patients who have had an acute stroke. DesignThis study is an inpatient rehabilitation case-control study involving 92 patients who have had an acute stroke with initial Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) scores of 3 or lower and profound to severe feeding tube–dependent dysphagia. Sixty-five patients, the NMES group, received NMES with TDT/PRT, and 27 patients, the case-control group, received only TDT/PRT. Treatment occurred in hourly sessions daily for a mean ± SD of 18 ± 3 days. &khgr;2 Analyses/t tests revealed no significant statistical differences between the groups for age (t = −0.85; P = 0.40), sex (&khgr;2 = 0.05; P = 0.94), and stroke location (&khgr;2 = 4.2; P = 0.24). A Mann-Whitney U test revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups for the initial FOIS score (z = −2.4; P = 0.015), with the NMES group having worse initial scores with a mean rank of 42.64 and the case-control TDT/PRT group having a mean rank of 55.8. The main outcome measure was the comparison of the FOIS scores after treatment. ResultsThe mean ± SD FOIS score after NMES with TDT/PRT treatment was 5.1 ± 1.8 compared with 3.3 ± 2.2 in the case-control TDT/PRT group. The mean gain for the NMES group was 4.4 points; and for the case-control group, 2.4 points. Significant improvement in swallowing performance was found for the NMES group compared with the TDT/PRT group (z = 3.64; P < 0.001). Within the NMES group, 46% (30 of 65) of the patients had minimal or no swallowing restrictions (FOIS score of 5–7) after treatment, whereas 26% (7 of 27) of those in the case-control group improved to FOIS scores of 5–7, a statistically significant difference (&khgr;2 = 6.0; P = 0.01). ConclusionsThis study suggests that NMES with TDT/PRT is significantly more effective than TDT/PRT alone during inpatient rehabilitation in reducing feeding tube–dependent dysphagia in patients who have had an acute stroke.

Dual Diagnosis: Traumatic Brain Injury with Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients should be assessed for a co-occurring traumatic brain injury (TBI) on admission to a rehabilitation program. Incidence of a dual diagnosis may approach 60% with certain risk factors. Diagnosis of mild-moderate severity TBIs may be missed during acute care hospitalizations of SCI. Neuropsychological symptoms of a missed TBI diagnosis may be perceived during rehabilitation as noncompliance, inability to learn, maladaptive reactions to SCI, and poor motivation. There are life-threatening and quality-of-life-threatening complications of TBI that also may be missed if a dual diagnosis is not made.

Evaluating Use of the Siebens Domain Management Model During Inpatient Rehabilitation to Increase Functional Independence and Discharge Rate to Home in Stroke Patients

To evaluate use of the Siebens Domain Management Model (SDMM) during stroke inpatient rehabilitation (IR) to increase functional independence and rate of discharge to home.

Changes in cognition and continence as predictors of rehabilitation outcomes in individuals with severe traumatic brain injury.

The study objective was to examine postacute changes in bowel and bladder continence and cognition after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in persons with long-term functional recovery to full independence. This case series included nine patients initially admitted to inpatient rehabilitation (IR) with severe TBI who had returned to prior responsibilities and functional independence by 8 to 15 mo. Patients had initial Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 3 to 6, posttraumatic amnesia durations of 18 to 70 d, time-to-follow-commands of 16 to 56 d, initial abnormal brain computed tomography scans, and initial pupil abnormalities. IR Functional Independence Measure (FIM) cognitive and sphincter score improvements were compared with national TBI FIM data from Uniform Data Systems for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) for 2010 (n = 16,368). All patients had IR improvements in cognitive and sphincter FIM scores approximately twice the national UDSMR data for 2010. All patients had combined IR discharge sphincter FIM scores that were 12 or greater, indicating independence to modified independence with bowel and bladder function with no incontinence. Five participants (55%) were admitted to IR with sphincter FIM scores of 11 to 12, indicating recovery of continence during acute care. These findings suggest potential usefulness of IR cognitive FIM score changes and of the recovery of bowel and bladder continence for predicting favorable functional outcomes following severe TBI.

Evaluating Siebens Domain Management Model for Inpatient Rehabilitation to Increase Functional Independence and Discharge Rate to Home in Geriatric Patients

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the Siebens Domain Management Model (SDMM) for geriatric inpatient rehabilitation (IR) to increase functional independence and dispositions to home. DESIGN Before and after study. SETTING IR facility. PARTICIPANTS During 2010 (preintervention), 429 patients aged ≥75 years who were on average admitted to IR 8.2 days postacute care, and during 2012 (postintervention), 524 patients aged ≥75 years who were on average admitted to IR 5.5 days postacute care. Case-mix group (CMG) comorbidity tier severity, preadmission living setting, and living support were similar in both groups. INTERVENTION The SDMM involving weekly adjustments of IR care focused on potential barriers to discharge home. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES FIM efficiency, length of stay (LOS), and disposition rates to community/home, acute care, and long-term care (LTC) to compare pre-/postintervention facility data and comparison of facility to national CMG-adjusted data from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation for both years (2010/2012). RESULTS Pre-/postintervention group admission FIM scores were similar (t=2.96, P<.003), but the preintervention group had on average 2.6 days greater LOS during IR and greater time to onset of IR (8.2 vs 5.5d) from acute care. Preintervention FIM efficiency was 2.1, whereas postintervention FIM efficiency was 2.76, a significant difference (t=4.1, P<.0001). There were significantly more discharges to the community in the postintervention group (74.4%) than the preintervention group (58.5%, χ(2)=26.2, P<.0001). There were significantly fewer patients discharged to LTC in the postintervention group (χ(2)=30.47, P<.0001). The preintervention group did not significantly differ from the 2010 national data, but the postintervention group significantly differed from the 2012 national data for both greater FIM efficiency (t=-5.5, P<.0001) and greater discharge to community (χ(2)=34, P<.0001). LOS decreased by 2.6 days in the postintervention group compared with the preintervention group, whereas LOS decreased by only 0.6 days nationally from 2010 to 2012, a significant difference with postintervention LOS lower than the national data (t=31.1, P<.0001). CONCLUSIONS Use of the SDMM during IR in geriatric patients is associated with increased functional independence and discharges to home/community and reduced institutionalization.

Evaluating the Siebens Model in Geriatric-Stroke Inpatient Rehabilitation to Reduce Institutionalization and Acute-Care Readmissions

BACKGROUND The objective of the study is to evaluate the use of Siebens Domain Management Model (SDMM) in geriatric-stroke patients during inpatient rehabilitation (IR) to increase functional independence, and to reduce institutionalization and acute-care readmissions, which are quality indicators under the U.S. Affordable Care Act. METHODS In 2010 (preintervention), 66 stroke patients aged more than 75 years were admitted to an IR facility, on average, 8.8 days postacute care. In 2012 (postintervention), 58 patients aged more than 75 years were admitted to the same IR facility, on average, 5.0 days postacute care. SDMM intervention involved weekly adjustments of clinical care focused on potential barriers to discharge home. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) efficiency, length of stay (LOS), and disposition rates to community or home, acute care, and long-term care were compared pre- and postintervention within facility, and facility data were compared to national case-mix-group-adjusted data from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation for both years (2010/2012). RESULTS Pre- and postintervention demographics and prestroke living support/setting were similar, but preintervention had on average 4 more days LOS in IR and 3.8 more days to IR onset. There were significantly more discharges to community in postintervention (79.3%) compared to preintervention (56.9%) (chi-square = 6.02, P < .013). The preintervention group did not significantly differ from 2010 national data whereas the postintervention/2012 group significantly differed from 2012 national data for higher FIM efficiency (t = -3.1, P < .002) and more discharges to community (chi-square = 19.7; P < .0001). From 2010 to 2012, there were 3.8 times more discharges to community (chi-square = 8535; P < .0001) and 6 times fewer acute-care dispositions postintervention than nationally (chi-square = 58.7; P < .0001).

Strategies to avoid a missed diagnosis of co-occurring concussion in post-acute patients having a spinal cord injury

Research scientists and clinicians should be aware that missed diagnoses of mild-moderate traumatic brain injuries in post-acute patients having spinal cord injuries may approach 60-74% with certain risk factors, potentially causing clinical consequences for patients, and confounding the results of clinical research studies. Factors leading to a missed diagnosis may include acute trauma-related life-threatening issues, sedation/intubation, subtle neuropathology on neuroimaging, failure to collect Glasgow Coma Scale scores or duration of posttraumatic amnesia, or lack of validity of this information, and overlap in neuro-cognitive symptoms with emotional responses to spinal cord injuries. Strategies for avoiding a missed diagnosis of mild-moderate traumatic brain injuries in patients having a spinal cord injuries are highlighted in this perspective.

Cautionary case: low Glasgow Coma Scale scores, brainstem involvement, decompressive craniectomy, full recovery, and one more reason for advocacy/collaboration.

ABSTRACTPresurgical selection criteria for decompressive craniectomy (DC) for treatment of severe traumatic brain injury remain controversial. Proposed criteria to improve outcomes include high admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores (≥7) and exclusion of patients having brainstem involvement. Neurosurgeons may be unaware of long-term functional outcomes in their DC patients. Therefore, to underscore an exceptional outcome that may have been facilitated by DC, while highlighting need for caution in development of potentially overly restrictive presurgical selection criteria, this case report of a 21-yr-old premed college student admitted with severe traumatic brain injury, Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3, left fixed dilated pupil, and brainstem signs, who had emergency DC, is presented. Nine years after the trauma, she was employed full time as a physician, and only residual symptom, an occasional headache, remained. Thus, caution is necessary in the development of DC presurgical selection guidelines, as this case had excellent long-term functional outcome that may have been facilitated by DC despite initial low Glasgow Coma Scale scores and signs of brainstem involvement. Also, this case highlights one more reason for multispecialty physician advocacy, collaboration, and comparative effectiveness research.

Trepanation procedures/outcomes: Comparison of prehistoric Peru with other ancient, medieval and American-Civil-War cranial surgery.

More prehistoric trepanned crania have been found in Peru than any other location worldwide. We examine trepanation practices and outcomes in Peru over nearly 2000 years from 400 BC to provide a perspective on the procedure with comparison with procedures/outcomes of other ancient, medieval, and American Civil War cranial surgery. Data on trepanation demographics, techniques, and survival rates were collected through the scientific analysis of more than 800 trepanned crania discovered in Peru, through field studies and the courtesy of museums and private collections in the United States and Peru, over nearly 3 decades. Data on procedures and outcomes of cranial surgery ancient, medieval, and during 19th-century through the American Civil war were obtained via a literature review. Successful trepanations from prehistoric times through the American Civil War likely involved shallow surgeries that did not pierce the dura mater. Although there are regional and temporal variations in ancient Peru, overall long-term survival rates for the study series were about 40% in the earliest period (400-200 BC), with improvement to a high of 91% in samples from AD 1000-1400, to an average of 75%-83% during the Inca Period (AD 1400s-1500). In comparison, the average cranial surgery mortality rate during the American Civil war was 46%-56%, and short- and long-term survival rates are unknown. The contrast in outcomes highlights the astonishing success of ancient cranial surgery in Peru in the treatment of living patients.

Association of Urinary Incontinence with Cognition, Transfers and Discharge Destination in Acute Stroke Inpatient Rehabilitation

BACKGROUND Acute-stroke prognostic indicators remain controversial including relationship of urinary incontinence with outcomes in cognition, transfers, and discharge destination. OBJECTIVE To examine if urinary incontinence is associated with inpatient-rehabilitation (IR) outcomes in cognition, transfers, and discharge destinations. DESIGN Retrospective observational study of 303 of 579(52%) acute-stroke patients admitted to IR 2012-2015 with complete urinary incontinence (total assistance for bladder management). Discharge Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were correlated for continence, cognition, transfers-(bed/chair/wheelchair), and discharge destination. RESULTS Patients were admitted to IR on average 7.4 days after acute stroke. Average length-of-stay in IR was 14 days. At discharge 118 of 303(39%) remained urinary incontinent (total assistance). Continence/bladder-management FIM scores at discharge were associated with cognition FIM scores at discharge (chi square =105.8; P < .0001), and associated with transfer FIM scores at discharge (chi square = 153.1; P < .0001). Patients total to moderate assistance for continence at discharge included greater percentage that were dependent to moderate assistance for cognition and transfers than those minimal assistance to independent for continence. Continence/bladder-management FIM scores at discharge were associated with discharge disposition destinations (chi square = 29.98; P < .002). Patients total to moderate assistance for continence at discharge included greater percentage of acute care transfers, and skilled-nursing-facility dispositions, than patients that recovered to minimal assist to independent for continence. Urinary-incontinence recovery to minimal assistance to independent was associated with a home/community disposition rate of 82%. CONCLUSIONS 52% stroke patients were total assistance with bladder management for urinary incontinence on IR admission. Partial to complete continence recovery occurred in 61%. Continence/bladder-management FIM scores at discharge were associated with cognition and transfer FIM scores, and discharge destinations.