Rehabilitation Outcomes In Patients Research Articles

Rehabilitation outcome for patients with spinal cord injury.

A follow-up study of 58 patients with spinal cord injury was conducted. As measure of function the Barthel index was used. There was correlation between functional capacity and ability of self-care as well as some social determinants. However, no association was found with employment rate or certain other determinants of independent living, such as going on a holiday. We conclude that the severity of the lesion is a fundamental factor in determining the outcome, but factors related to personal and psychosocial variables, not easily measured, also have great influence on the rehabilitation process.

Incidence, CT findings and rehabilitation outcome of patients with communicative hydrocephalus following severe head injury.

Communicative hydrocephalus (CH) is considered as one of the late sequelae of severe craniocerebral injury. However, as most of the series of patients with CH described in the literature deal with the results of various shunting procedures, the incidence of post-traumatic communicative hydrocephalus is not documented. We have found that almost 3.9% of 335 severe craniocerebral-injured patients develop communicative hydrocephalus. These patients were unconscious for various periods of time, therefore the triad described by Hakim and Adams cannot by itself lead the clinician to suspect possible development of communicative hydrocephalus. It is suggested that in prolonged coma, or in the presence of arrest in clinical progress in conscious craniocerebral-injured patients, communicative hydrocephalus should be suspected.

Bed Orientation and Rehabilitation Outcome for Patients with Stroke and Hemianopsia or Visual Neglect

Conflicting opinions have been expressed concerning optimal bed orientation for patients with stroke and homonymous hemianopsia (HHA) or visual neglect (VN). Some advocate that the bed be oriented so that the patient's impaired hemifield is directed toward the side of stimulation (door, bathroom, night table, telephone, visitor's chair) to force the patient to search into the affected field. Others advocate that the patient's bed be oriented so they can take maximum benefit from the stimuli directed toward the patient's unaffected visual field. We have been unable to find data to support either of these opinions. We therefore randomized 44 consecutive patients with unilateral hemispheric stroke having HHA or VN to beds oriented with the above-mentioned environmental stimuli either contralateral to the side of infarct (CS) or ipsilateral to the side of infarct (IS). Visual field deficits were assessed by confrontation testing. Patients were said to have HHA if they failed to detect unilateral finger moveme...

Prediction of outcome of rehabilitation in patients after myocardial infarction

In this paper, thermo-mechanical analysis of rectangular shape adaptive composite plates with surface-bonded shape memory alloy (SMA) ribbons is introduced. A robust phenomenological constitutive model is implemented to predict main features of SMA ribbons under dominant axial and transverse shear stresses during non-proportional thermo-mechanical loadings. The model is capable of realistic simulations of martensite transformation/orientation, reorientation of martensite variants, shape memory effect, pseudo-elasticity and ferro-elasticity effects. A numerical process is addressed to solve the time-discrete counterpart of the model using an elastic-predictor inelastic-corrector return mapping algorithm. Considering small strains and moderately large rotations in the von Kármán sense, governing equations of equilibrium are derived based on the first-order shear deformation theory. A Ritz-based finite element method along with an iterative incremental strategy is developed to solve the governing equations of equilibrium with both material and geometrical non-linearities. The capability of the material and structural model is examined by a comparative study with numerical data available in the open literature for laminated SMA beams. Effects of the pre-strain state, temperature, length and arrangement of the SMA ribbon actuator are investigated, and their implications on the thermo-mechanical behavior of shape adaptive composite plates are put into evidence, and pertinent conclusions are outlined.

Vocational Rehabilitation Outcome of Patients Discharged from a Rehabilitation Institute

A vocational follow-up questionnaire was given to 118 patients recentlydischarged from a medical rehabilitation institute. The patients, who werecontacted by telephone, were instructed to evaluate the outcome of vocational rehabilitation received. A measuring instrument was also used to predictthe outcome. Some of the patients received services both from a medicalrehabilitation center and a state vocational agency. Thirty-eight percent ofpatients were found to be either employed, attending school, in training ormaintaining the home. Ninety-three percent reported that they could not return to vocational/educational activity due to medical difficulties. Barthelindex was found to predict vocational outcome whereas PULSES index wasnot. Both rehabilitation institute and state agency counselor contact correlated positively with vocational activity.

Correlation of Psychophysiologic Variables with Vocational Rehabilitation Outcome in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Despite the magnitude of the public health problem presented by respiratory diseases, there have been few studies concerned with vocational rehabilitation (VR) potential of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Certain physiologic variables which show a high degree of relationship to VR success are identified. The three independent variables which most highly correlate with the VR potential of patients with COPD are the percentages predicted for the first-second forced expiratory volume (FEV(1.0)), forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75 percent of the forced vital capacity (FEF(25-75 percent)), and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV). The mean "cutting" percentages for inclusion in VR programs were 50, 27, and 40, respectively. The emotional variables studied do not differentiate potential VR success or failure as clearly as the physiologic factors. The criteria set forth not only can be used by rehabilitation workers but could serve as a basis for future demonstration studies.

The relationship between, impersistence, intellectual function and outcome of rehabilitation in patients with left hemiplegia

The relationship between, impersistence, intellectual function and outcome of rehabilitation in patients with left hemiplegia