Factors predicting rehabilitation outcomes for children with traumatic brain injury / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the rehabilitation prognoses of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI).MethodsA retrospective analysis was made in 64 children who had been admitted for rehabilitation.Their clinical information,rehabilitation protocols,recovery of consciousness and ability in the activities of daily living (ADL) were analyzed. ResultsThe children's injuries were severe-42.19％ had consciousness disorders,but 80％ of them recovered consciousness after rehabilitation.Their limb motor dysfunction was dominated by hemiplegia (51.67％).For 65.63％ of the patients rehabilitation was initiated within one month after injury.The average length of stay in rehabilitation was 33.09 ± 25.96 days.Those with consciousness disorders stayed significantly longer than those without.The main treatments were hyperbaric oxygen therapy,exercise and neurotrophic drugs (the ratios were 95.31％,89.06％ and 82.81％ respectively).After the first course of inpatient rehabilitation,the conscious ness recovery rate was 81.48％ and ADL ability improved significantly.The total effectiveness rate was 90.63％.Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the factors most strongly correlated with effective rehabilitation were age at injury and the rehabilitation intervention time.ConclusionThe results suggest that a general hospital should focus on early (acute and subacute phase) rehabilitation.So developing the rehabilitation network system is necessary and urgent.Rehabilitative therapy is very helpful in TBI cases.Being older at the time of injury and earlier rehabilitation intervention predict better short term outcomes.It is necessary to build and improve on a more standardized and systemic rehabilitation and assessment system for pediatric TBI.