Abstract
Objective: To measure functional outcome in the 2 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 2 groups of children and to determine the usefulness of a TBI severity classification system for resource allocation.Design: Prospective inception cohort study with 3 assessment points during the 2 years after trauma.Setting: Tertiary pediatric trauma center in Sydney, Australia.Participants: Eighty-one consecutive admissions aged 0 to 14 years. Fifty-one were allocated to the Mild (n = 26) or Severe (n = 25) TBI groups, according to preset determinants of severity; 30 admissions with non-TBI trauma constituted the control group.Main Outcome Measures: Standardized psychometric and clinical assessments of cognition, communication and feeding ability, motor performance (ambulation, fine and gross motor), neurologic status, self-care independence, and school/academic performance.Results: Those with Mild TBI severity had no significant deficits at the 2-year data point. In contrast, those in the Severe TBI group demonstrated continued problems with fine motor performance, neurologic status, self care, and school/academic performance.Conclusions: A classification system has been developed that may be useful in the allocation of children with a TBI, age younger than 15 years, to 1 of 2 severity groups early in their rehabilitation. This classification system may be useful in determining areas of high and low resource prioritization.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.