Rehabilitation needs of combat-injured service members admitted to the VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers: the role of PM&R in the care of wounded warriors.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the rehabilitation course of combat-injured service members who sustained polytraumatic injuries during the current wars in and around Iraq and Afghanistan. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive analysis. SETTING: Department of Veterans Administration Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRCs). PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-eight consecutive, acutely combat-injured service members suffering polytraumatic injuries requiring inpatient rehabilitation and being treated at PRCs between October 2001 and January 2006. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Medications prescribed, devices used, injuries and impairment information, and consultative services. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of the patients had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and more than half of these were incurred secondary to blast explosions. Over half of the patients had infections or surgeries prior to PRC admission that required continued medical attention during their stay. Pain and mental health issues were present in 100% and 39%, respectively, of all patients admitted and added complexity to the brain injury rehabilitation process. Common treatment needs included cognitive-behavioral interventions, pain care, assistive devices, mental health interventions for both patients and their families, and specialty consultations, in particular to ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and neurology. CONCLUSIONS: Combat-injured polytrauma patients have complex rehabilitation needs that require a high level of specialized training and skill. Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists treating war injured service members need a high level of expertise in assessment and treatment of co-occurring pain, TBI, and stress disorders. Physiatrists are playing an important role in providing and coordinating the rehabilitation care for individuals with significant polytraumatic war injuries from the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) conflicts.

Characteristics and rehabilitation outcomes among patients with blast and other injuries sustained during the Global War on Terror.

OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics and rehabilitation outcomes among patients who received inpatient rehabilitation for blast and other injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror. DESIGN: Observational study based on chart review and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data. SETTING: The 4 VA polytrauma rehabilitation centers (PRCs). PARTICIPANTS: Service members (N=188) admitted to a PRC during the first 4 years of the Global War on Terror for injuries sustained during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. INTERVENTION: Multidisciplinary comprehensive rehabilitation program. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Cognitive and motor FIM instrument gain scores and length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Most war-injured patients had traumatic brain injury, injuries to several other body systems and organs, and associated pain. Fifty-six percent had blast-related injuries, and the pattern of injuries was unique among those with injuries secondary to blasts. Soft tissue, eye, oral and maxillofacial, otologic, penetrating brain injuries, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and auditory impairments were more common in blast-injured patients than in those with war injuries of other etiologies. The mechanism of the injury did not predict functional outcomes. LOS was variable, particularly for those with blast injuries. Patients with low levels of independence at admissions made the most progress but remained more dependent at discharge compared with other PRC patients. The rate of gain was slower in this low-functioning group. CONCLUSIONS: Blasts produce a unique constellation of injuries but do not make a unique contribution to functional gain scores. Findings underscore the need for assessment and treatment of pain and mental health problems among patients with polytrauma and blast-related injuries. Patients with polytrauma have lifelong needs, and future research should examine needs over time after community re-entry.