Brain injury : [BI]
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Individuals suffering from severe disorders of consciousness (DOC) face a bleak prognosis and are susceptible to therapeutic neglect according to Fins. Because of the increasing occurrence of severe brain injury, some physicians and researchers take the study of DOC to be a moral imperative and perceive novel technologies, such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), as offering potential therapeutic benefit. ⋯ Researchers need to be aware how the absence of a standard of care can shape surrogate choice.
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Brain injury : [BI] · Jan 2010
Global outcome in acute phase of treatment following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury from motor vehicle collisions vs assaults.
To compare socio-demographic, medical characteristics and acute outcomes between patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from motor vehicle collision (MVC) or assault in an acute care setting. ⋯ Variables such as injury severity, age, level of intoxication on admission and presence of surgeries should be considered when determining acute outcome.
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Brain injury : [BI] · Jan 2010
Effect of blood alcohol level on Glasgow Coma Scale scores following traumatic brain injury.
It is a common clinical perception that alcohol intoxication systematically lowers Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores when evaluating traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the research findings in this area do not uniformly support this notion. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of blood alcohol level (BAL) on GCS scores following TBI. ⋯ These findings suggest that GCS scores can be interpreted at face value in the vast majority of patients who are intoxicated. However, GCS scores will likely over-estimate the severity of brain injury in patients with abnormal head CT scans and BALs greater than 200 mg dl(-1).
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Brain injury : [BI] · Jan 2010
Quality of life after traumatic brain injury: the clinical use of the QOLIBRI, a novel disease-specific instrument.
To report the clinical use of the QOLIBRI, a disease-specific measure of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) after traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ The QOLIBRI provides information about patient's subjective perception of his/her HRQoL which supplements clinical measures and measures of functional outcome. It can be applied across different populations and cultures. It allows the identification of personal needs, the prioritization of therapeutic goals and the evaluation of individual progress. It may also be useful in clinical trials and in longitudinal studies of TBI recovery.
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Brain injury : [BI] · Jan 2010
Detailed long-term outcome analysis after decompressive craniectomy for severe traumatic brain injury.
To assess detailed long-term clinical outcome at least 1 year after decompressive craniectomy (DC) in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ Despite multiple health-related problems after DC, many patients proved highly functional in activities of daily living and reported qualities of life not significantly inferior to that of healthy individuals. Depression was common and requires to be addressed with patients and caregivers. Better targeted therapies could improve neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes in this complex cohort.