Recovery of cognitive function during comprehensive rehabilitation after severe traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the course and timing of functional recovery in patients who have emerged from coma after undergoing severe traumatic brain injury.


METHODS
An observational study involving 19 patients with traumatic brain injury recovered from coma who underwent holistic, intensive and multidisciplinary neurorehabilitation. Daily performance in each cognitive function (long-term memory, short-term memory, orientation, calculation, attention, mental control, automation, and planning) was clinically scored and compared at admission and discharge.


RESULTS
The course of cognitive recovery after post-traumatic coma is not uniform, offering a curve with many ups, downs and plateaus. To achieve a good response and outcome nearing normalcy, a patient needs over 300 h of intensive rehabilitation.


CONCLUSIONS
The consolidation of functional recovery in patients with traumatic brain injury requires time and adequate training, and discharge is not recommended until cognitive improvement is established.
Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation (C.RE.CER.), c/ Torneo 23, ES-41002 Seville, Spain. leoncarrion@us.es
José
J
León-Carrión
María Rosario
MR
Domínguez-Morales
Juan Manuel
JM
Barroso y Martín
Umberto
U
Leon-Dominguez
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult