Jeffrey Englander

Etiology and incidence of rehospitalization after traumatic brain injury: A multicenter analysis

OBJECTIVE To investigate incidence and etiology of rehospitalizations at 1, 2, and 3 years after traumatic brain injury. DESIGN Descriptive statistics were computed in a prospective study of etiology and incidence of rehospitalization at years 1, 2, and 3 postinjury. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi2 were used to identify factors relating to rehospitalization; factors included length of stay, admission and discharge functional status, payer source, medical complications, injury severity, and demographics. SETTING Four medical centers in the federally sponsored Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. In each setting, the continuum of care includes emergency medical services, intensive and acute medical care, inpatient rehabilitation, and a spectrum of community rehabilitation services. PARTICIPANTS Six hundred sixty-five rehabilitation patients admitted to acute care within 24 hours of traumatic brain injury between 1989 and 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Annual incidence and etiology of rehospitalization. RESULTS The annual incidence of rehospitalization ranged from 20% to 22.5%. Approximately half the rehospitalizations were for elective reasons. The most common reason for rehospitalization was for orthopedic or reconstructive surgery, followed by infectious disorders and general health maintenance. After the first year, the incidence of readmissions for seizures and psychiatric difficulties increased substantially. ANOVA and chi2 analyses were performed on data from the first year postinjury. No statistically significant associations were noted between incidence and etiology of rehospitalization and: demographics; injury severity; payer source for rehabilitation; concurrent injuries; acute care and rehabilitation length of stays; discharge Functional Assessment Measure; and discharge residence (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS There is a relatively stable but high rate of rehospitalization for at least 3 years after injury. The costs of rehospitalization should be considered when evaluating the long-term consequences of injury.

Acute predictors of successful return to work 1 year after traumatic brain injury: a multicenter analysis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of acute injury characteristics on subsequent return to work in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. DESIGN Descriptive statistics were performed in a comparative study of 49 TBI patients who were competitively employed at 1-year follow-up and 83 unemployed patients. Independent t tests were then performed to examine the differences between the two groups on specific measures including the Disability Rating Scale (DRS), Functional Assessment Measure (FIM), Rancho Los Amigos Scale (RLAS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Neurobehavioral Rating Scale (NRS), and neuropsychological test results. SETTING Four medical centers in the federally sponsored Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Project that provide emergency medical services, intensive and acute medical care, inpatient rehabilitation, and a spectrum of community rehabilitation services. PARTICIPANTS Patients were selected from a national database of 245 rehabilitation inpatients admitted to acute care within 8 hours of TBI and seen at 1-year follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Return to work at 1-year follow-up. RESULTS Persons employed at 1-year follow-up obtained significantly better scores on specific acute measures of physical functioning (Admission FIM, Admission DRS, Discharge DRS), cognitive functioning (Logical Memory Delay), behavioral functioning (Admission RLAS, Discharge RLAS, NRS Excitement factor), and injury severity (Admission GCS, Highest GCS, Length of Coma, Length of PTA) than their unemployed counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Persons obtaining better scores on certain acute measures (e.g., Admission GCS) are more likely to return to the workforce. Future research should focus on developing a standardized tool to assess a patients ability to return to work, as well as an operational definition for successful employment.

Functional outcomes of older adults with traumatic brain injury: A prospective, multicenter analysis☆

OBJECTIVE To investigate improvement rates and medical services costs in older brain injured adults relative to younger patients. DESIGN Descriptive statistics were computed in a prospective comparative study of 50 patients 55 years and older and 50 patients 18 to 54 years old matched for gender and injury severity (number of days in coma, admission Glasgow Coma Score, intracranial pressure). Independent t tests were performed to examine differences between the two samples on specific variables. SETTING Five medical centers in the federally sponsored Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Project that provide emergency medical services, intensive and acute medical care, inpatient rehabilitation, and a spectrum of community rehabilitation services. PARTICIPANTS Patients were selected from a national database of 531 rehabilitation inpatients admitted to acute care within 8 hours of traumatic brain injury between 1989 and 1994. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Disability Rating Scale, Functional Independence Measure, Rancho Los Amigos Levels of Cognitive Functioning Scale, length of stay, acute care and rehabilitation charges, and discharge disposition. RESULTS Older persons averaged a significantly longer rehabilitation length of stay, higher total rehabilitation charges, and a lower rate of change on functional measures. No significant differences between groups were found for acute care length of stay, daily rehabilitation charges, acute care charges (daily or total), or discharge disposition. CONCLUSIONS Although older persons demonstrated functional changes, the cost of change was substantially higher than for younger patients, coincident with longer lengths of stay. These higher overall charges and slower rates of change may effect changes in referral and management patterns.

Impact of Minority Status on Functional Outcome and Community Integration Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective:To determine whether minority status affected short-term and 1-year functional outcome and community integration for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the TBI Model Systems National Data Base. Design:Prospective study, consecutive sample. Setting:Four tertiary care rehabilitation centers. Patients:Five hundred and eighty-six patients with TBI admitted to one of four TBI Model Systems programs from February 1989 through June 1995. Inclusion criteria for the study included evidence of a TBI, admission to the system hospital emergency department within 8 hours of injury, 19 years of age or older, and acute care and inpatlent rehabilitation within the system hospitals. Information was collected for demographics such as race, age, gender, education, employment status, marital status, and data related to the injury such as injury severity, etiology of injury, and payer source. Over half of the sample was white (53.4%) with the 46.6% of minorities composed of blacks (37.2%), Hispanics (7.3%), and Asians (2.0%). Main Outcome Measures:Functional outcome was measured with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Disability Rating Scale (DRS), and Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ). The FIM and DRS were measured at inpatient rehabilitation admission, discharge, and 1 year post injury. The CIQ total score and subscale scores for Home Integration, Social Integration, and Productivity were obtained at 1-year post injury. It was hypothesized that minority status would not predict functional outcome after acute rehabilitation but would predict functional outcome and community integration at 1 year post injury. Results:There were no significant differences between whites and minorities for DRS and FIM scores at acute rehabilitation discharge. There were also no significant differences between whites and minorities on FIM scores 1 year post injury, but there were significant differences between whites and minorities on the Social Integration and Productivity subscales and total score of the CIQ. Multiple regression indicated that minority status predicted functional outcome for CIQ total score (r=-.28) and two subscales, Social Integration (=-.28) and Productivity ( r= -.23) even after controlling for etiology, severity of injury, age, gender, and functional status at rehabilitation discharge. Conclusions:Although minority status does not negatively impact recovery of basic mobility and daily living skills, it may impact long-term outcome related to community integration as measured by productivity and social integration. Greater outreach and access to postdischargc services and support may be needed to optimize community integration outcomes. Further studies are needed to determine how best to serve the needs of this segment of the population with TBI

A model systems database for traumatic brain injury.

This article describes the development and characteristics of the database that supports the research and demonstration aspects of the traumatic brain injury (TBI) model systems project sponsored by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Criteria for inclusion of patients

Mild traumatic brain injury in an insured population: subjective complaints and return to employment

The great majority of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is of mild severity, with Glasgow Coma Scores (GCS) of 13-15, post-traumatic amnesia of less than 48 hours and brief, if any, hospitalization. All mild TBI admissions to hospital were provided with education in the form of a brief interview and a brochure on minor head trauma from the National Head Injury Foundation. Seventy-seven insured individuals with mild TBI were contacted by phone between 1 and 3 months post-injury to determine the frequency and severity of post-traumatic symptoms and the rate of return to work (RTW). Twenty-six per cent of those contacted had subjective complaints; 88% had returned to work or school; 16% of those returning did so with some symptoms. Only 45% of symptomatic individuals sought medical consultation for their condition when offered. Education about post-traumatic symptoms from the onset may provide sufficient reassurance to most individuals that future use of medical services is seen as unnecessary. Rate of RTW is relatively higher than reported in previous studies of mild TBI.

Fatigue after traumatic brain injury: Association with neuroendocrine, sleep, depression and other factors

Objective: Define associations between post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) fatigue and abnormalities in neuroendocrine axes, sleep, mood, cognition and physical functioning. Design: Survey. Setting: Large community hospital-based rehabilitation centre. Participants: Convenience sample of 119 individuals at least 1 year post-TBI. Outcome measures: Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF); Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS); neuroendocrine assessments–growth hormone (GH) reserve, thyroid, cortisol and testosterone levels; visual analogue pain rating; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Beck Depression Inventory–II; Disability Rating Scale; Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique; Neurobehavioural Functioning Inventory. Results: Fifty-three per cent reported fatigue on the MAF and one-third on the FSS; 65% were found to have moderate/severe GH deficiency; 64% had adrenal insufficiency (low fasting cortisol); 12% had central hypothyroidism; and 15% of men had testosterone deficiency. Pituitary dysfunction did not correlate with fatigue or other symptoms. Predictors of MAF total scores were female gender, depression, pain and self-assessed memory deficits. Predictors of FSS scores were depression, self-assessed motor deficits and anti-depressant usage. Conclusions: Robust correlates of fatigue were gender, depression, pain and memory and motor dysfunction. Investigation of post-TBI fatigue should include screening for depression, pain and sleep disturbance. There was no correlation between pituitary dysfunction and fatigue; however, the relatively high prevalence of hypothyroidism and adrenal dysfunction suggests screening for these hormone deficiencies.

Patterns of fatigue and its correlates over the first 2 years after traumatic brain injury.

This study used a prospective longitudinal design to quantify fatigue and associated factors during the first 2 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Fifty-one individuals were assessed at 3 time points: within the first 6, 12, and 18–24 months after TBI. Self-reported fatigue improved during the first year, as did pain, sleep quality, cognitive independence, and involvement in productive activity. Further changes up to 2 years after TBI were not observed. The subset of individuals who reported significant increases in fatigue over the first 2 years demonstrated poorer outcomes in cognition, motor symptoms, and general functioning than those with decreased or stable fatigue.

Brain injury as a result of violence: Preliminary findings from the traumatic brain injury model systems

OBJECTIVES To identify possible risk factors that may predispose individuals to violent traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine the effect of etiology of injury on outcomes. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, longitudinal multicenter study. SETTING TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) located at Wayne State University/Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, MI; The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, Houston, TX; Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA; and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA. SUBJECTS Individuals treated in the four TBIMS programs between 3/89 and 9/96 who met the criteria for inclusion in the TBIMS National Database and for whom the etiology was known (n=812). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Functional Independence Measure, Alcohol Quantity Frequency Variability Index, Community Integration Questionnaire. RESULTS Individuals who incur violence-related TBI tend to be male, nonwhite, unmarried, living alone, less educated, and unemployed at time of injury. They tend to have less severe brain injuries and better motor function at the time of admission to inpatient rehabilitation. At 1 year postinjury, they score lower on community integration measures; however, no difference exists in functional status. Etiology of injury was found to only play a minor role in the prediction of social and productive integration at 1 year postinjury. CONCLUSIONS Survivors of violent and nonviolent TBI have similar functional outcomes; however, they differ in preinjury and postinjury socio-economic characteristics, injury severity, and postinjury community integration. Socio-economic factors appear to play a large role in the risk for violent injury and in community integration following injury.

Fatigue after TBI: Association with neuroendocrine abnormalities

Objective: Evaluate the association between neuroendocrine findings and fatigue after traumatic brain injury (TBI) Research design: Prospective, observational. Methods and procedures: Sixty-four individuals at least 1 year post-TBI underwent neuroendocrine testing including thyroid, adrenal, gonadal axes and growth hormone (GH) after glucagon stimulation with assessment of fatigue using the Global Fatigue Index (GFI) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Main outcomes and results: GFI and FSS scores were significantly higher within this sample compared to published control data. At least one pituitary axis was abnormal in 90% of participants. Higher GH levels were significantly associated with higher FSS scores. There was a noted trend between lower basal cortisol and higher scores on both the FSS and GFI. Conclusions: The association between higher GH levels and greater fatigue contradicted the prevailing hypothesis that post-acute TBI fatigue is associated with GH deficiency. The association between lower basal cortisol and greater fatigue was in the expected direction. While no other trends were noted, the fatigue derived from neuroendocrine abnormalities alone may be masked by fatigue induced by other factors commonly experienced following TBI. Given the high prevalence of pituitary abnormalities, screening for hypopituitarism after TBI is a reasonable recommendation. The contribution of GH deficiency to diminished quality of life post-TBI remains unclear.