title: [Treatment of traumatic brain injury in Germany].
abstract: The relationship between severe, moderate and mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as the course of treatment and quality management, were studied in a 1-year prospective study in regions of Hannover and Münster Germany. A total of 6,783 patients were documented at the initial examination (58.4% male, 28.1% children <16 years old) and 63.5% participated in the follow-up survey 1 year after the accident. Of these TBI patients 5,220 (73%) were admitted to hospital for clinical treatment but only 258 (<4%) received inpatient rehabilitation. The incidence of TBI was 332/100,000 inhabitants and according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) brain injury was mild in 90.9%, severe in 5.2% and moderate in 3.9%. The main cause of injury was a fall (52.5%) followed by a traffic accident (26.3%). In-hospital mortality was 1%. Only 56% of TBI patients were neurological examined and 63% were examined in hospital within the first hour after the accident. An immediate x-ray of the skull with a doubtful evidential value was made in 82%. Of the participants 35.9% were still receiving medical treatment 1 year after the accident although the majority only suffered mild TBI. An overabundance of severe socioeconomic consequences, e.g. loss of job, accommodation, family, were also found following only mild TBI.
authors: Bereich Neurochirurgie, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Celle, Siemensplatz 4, 29223 Celle. emrickels@t-online.de
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Rickels
authors: K
authors: K
authors: von Wild
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Wenzlaff
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome