title: Functional outcome following rehabilitation in chronic severe traumatic brain injury patients: A prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to assess functional outcome of rehabilitation in chronic severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in-patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed at university tertiary research hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cross-sectional study
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients (34 men) with mean age of 30.1 years (range 6--60, SD 10.8), severe TBI (Glasgow coma scale 3--8, duration of coma > 6 hours, post-traumatic amnesia> 1 day postinjury) were admitted in rehabilitation unit minimum 3 months (mean 7.7±4.6 months, range 3--22 months) following injury falling in Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) of 3. Functional recovery was assessed using the Barthel Index (BI) score and disability rating scores (DRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Paired Student's t-test was used for the assessment of functional recovery using mean BI scores at admission and discharge. The Wilcoxon nonparametric test was used for the assessment of functional recovery by comparing admission and discharge DRS scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean duration of stay was 30.8 days (range 18--91, SD15.6). Significant functional recovery observed in patients comparing BI and DRS scores at admission and discharge (mean BI admission 50.5±25.4, range 0--85 vs. mean discharge BI score 61.1±25.3, range 0--95, P<0.001, mean DRS admission score 7.57±4.1, range 2.5--21.0 vs. mean discharge DRS score 6.36±4.3, range 1.0-21.0, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with severe TBI continue to show functional recovery even in chronic phase with rehabilitation. They are left with significant residual physical and cognitive deficits and would require long-term care and assistance from care givers for the daily activities, as suggested by the mean DRS score at discharge.
authors.affiliation: Neurological Rehabilitation Division, Department of Psychiatric and Neurological Rehabilitation, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Anupam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Arun B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Taly