Articles: traumatic-brain-injuries.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Oct 2013
Specialized early treatment for persons with disorders of consciousness: program components and outcomes.
To describe a specialized early treatment program for persons with disorders of consciousness (DOC) that includes family education; to identify rates of secondary conditions, imaging used, and selected interventions; and to evaluate outcomes. ⋯ Persons with DOC resulting primarily from a traumatic etiology who receive specialized early treatment that includes acute medical care and ≥90 minutes of daily rehabilitation are likely to show improved consciousness and body function; more than half may transition to mainstream inpatient rehabilitation. Families who receive comprehensive education and hands-on training with ongoing follow-up support may be twice as likely to provide care for medically stable persons with DOC in their homes versus nursing facility placement.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Oct 2013
Descriptive characteristics and rehabilitation outcomes in active duty military personnel and veterans with disorders of consciousness with combat- and noncombat-related brain injury.
To report the injury and demographic characteristics, medical course, and rehabilitation outcome for a consecutive series of veterans and active duty military personnel with combat- and noncombat-related brain injury and disorder of consciousness (DOC) at the time of rehabilitation admission. ⋯ Despite complex comorbidities, optimistic outcomes were observed. Individuals with severe head injury because of blast-related etiologies have different outcomes and comorbidities observed. Health-services research with a focus on prevention of comorbidities is needed to inform optimal models of care, particularly for combat injured soldiers with blast-related injuries.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Oct 2013
Functional outcomes in traumatic disorders of consciousness: 5-year outcomes from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems.
To characterize the 5-year outcomes of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) not following commands when admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation. ⋯ Substantial proportions of patients admitted to acute inpatient rehabilitation before following commands recover independent functioning over as long as 5 years, particularly if they begin to follow commands before hospital discharge.
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Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Oct 2013
Prior history of traumatic brain injury among persons in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database.
To determine the association between demographic, psychosocial, and injury-related characteristics and traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurring prior to a moderate or severe TBI requiring rehabilitation. ⋯ Findings suggest that earlier life TBI may have important implications for rehabilitation after subsequent TBI, especially for anticipating behavioral health issues in the chronic stage of recovery. Results provide additional evidence for the potential consequences of early life TBI, even if mild.
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Experimental neurology · Oct 2013
Combined SCI and TBI: recovery of forelimb function after unilateral cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is retarded by contralateral traumatic brain injury (TBI), and ipsilateral TBI balances the effects of SCI on paw placement.
A significant proportion (estimates range from 16 to 74%) of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) have concomitant traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the combination often produces difficulties in planning and implementing rehabilitation strategies and drug therapies. For example, many of the drugs used to treat SCI may interfere with cognitive rehabilitation, and conversely drugs that are used to control seizures in TBI patients may undermine locomotor recovery after SCI. The current paper presents an experimental animal model for combined SCI and TBI to help drive mechanistic studies of dual diagnosis. ⋯ Concurrent SCI and TBI had significantly different effects on outcomes and recovery, depending upon laterality of the two lesions. Recovery of function after cervical SCI was retarded by the addition of a moderate TBI in the contralateral hemisphere in all tests, but forepaw placements were relatively increased by an ipsilateral TBI relative to SCI alone, perhaps due to the dual competing injuries influencing the use of both forelimbs. These findings emphasize the complexity of recovery from combined CNS injuries, and the possible role of plasticity and laterality in rehabilitation, and provide a start towards a useful preclinical model for evaluating effective therapies for combine SCI and TBI.