Auditory and visual impairments in patients with blast-related traumatic brain injury: Effect of dual sensory impairment on Functional Independence Measure.
The frequencies of hearing impairment (HI), vision impairment (VI), or dual (hearing and vision) sensory impairment (DSI) in patients with blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their effects on functional recovery are not well documented. In this preliminary study of 175 patients admitted to a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, we completed hearing and vision examinations and obtained Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores at admission and discharge for 62 patients with blast-related TBI. We diagnosed HI only, VI only, and DSI in 19%, 34%, and 32% of patients, respectively. Only 15% of the patients had no sensory impairment in either auditory or visual modality. An analysis of variance showed a group difference for the total and motor FIM scores at discharge (p < 0.04). Regression model analyses demonstrated that DSI significantly contributed to reduced gain in total ( t = -2.25) and motor ( t = -2.50) FIM scores ( p < 0.05). Understanding the long-term consequences of sensory impairments in the functional recovery of patients with blast-related TBI requires further research.
Lew
Henry L
HL
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Garvert
Donn W
DW
Pogoda
Terri K
TK
Hsu
Pei-Te
PT
Devine
Jennifer M
JM
White
Daniel K
DK
Myers
Paula J
PJ
Goodrich
Gregory L
GL
D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*