Functional outcome after inpatient rehabilitation in persons with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE
To describe inpatient rehabilitation outcome in persons with nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to explore the predictive capacity of acute measures of SAH severity and demographic and disease variables.


METHODS
Retrospective with descriptive and relational analyses.


METHODS
Free-standing, acute, inpatient brain injury rehabilitation unit.


METHODS
Forty-two consecutive persons with nontraumatic SAH and for whom complete data were available were studied. Mean age of the group was 56.5 years, mean acute hospital stay was 26.2 days, and 60% were women. Over 40% experienced rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. The time from injury to rehabilitation admission varied from 11 to 227 days (mean, 43.8d).


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Change in FIMtrade mark instrument scores, home discharge rate, and rehabilitation length of stay (LOS.)


RESULTS
The mean admission and discharge FIM scores were 57.7 and 85.5 points, respectively. There was a 27.8-point mean change in FIM score over a 24.1-day mean rehabilitation LOS for a FIM efficiency (points/day) of 1.15. Over 80% of the sample was discharged home. No demographic or disease characteristic variables, including acute severity measures, were statistically significant predictors of outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Functional gains during inpatient rehabilitation made in this group of 42 persons with SAH are in line with earlier studies. Our rehabilitation LOS is the shortest reported among 4 studies to date and is probably a reflection of managed care in the United States. A small sample, uneven cell sizes, and variability of patients might have contributed to a lack of significant findings. Future study should explore the prediction of rehabilitation outcome using larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods.
O'Dell
Michael W
MW
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY 10021, USA. mio2005@med.cornell.edu
Watanabe
Thomas K
TK
De Roos
Steven T
ST
Kager
Christopher
C
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013997:Time Factors