Emergency department assessment of mild traumatic brain injury and prediction of post-concussion symptoms at one month post injury.

Full Abstract

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common injury and a significant proportion of those affected report chronic symptoms. This study investigated prediction of post-concussion symptoms using an Emergency Department (ED) assessment that examined neuropsychological and balance deficits and pain severity of 29 concussed individuals. Thirty participants with minor orthopedic injuries and 30 ED visitors were recruited as control subjects. Concussed and orthopedically injured participants were followed up by telephone at one month to assess symptom severity. In the ED, concussed subjects performed worse on some neuropsychological tests and had impaired balance compared to controls. They also reported significantly more post-concussive symptoms at follow-up. Neurocognitive impairment, pain and balance deficits were all significantly correlated with severity of post-concussion symptoms. The findings suggest that a combination of variables assessable in the ED may be useful in predicting which individuals will suffer persistent post-concussion problems.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Sheedy, Joanne (J); Geffen, Gina (G); Donnelly, James (J); Faux, Steven (S);

Affiliation: St. Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia. jsheedy(-atsign-)stvincents.com.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Controlled Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Validation Studies

Journal: Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology (J Clin Exp Neuropsychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jul; vol 28 (issue 5) : pp 755-72

Dates: Created 2006/05/25; Completed 2006/07/26; Revised 2008/04/14;

PMID: 16723323, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Amnesia - diagnosis; etiology
Ataxia - diagnosis; etiology
Brain Concussion - complications; diagnosis
Brain Damage, Chronic - diagnosis; etiology
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; etiology
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Middle Aged

Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests - standards
Pain - diagnosis; etiology
Post-Concussion Syndrome - diagnosis
Posture
Predictive Value of Tests
Reference Values
Reproducibility of Results
Risk Assessment - methods
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Trauma Severity Indices
Wounds and Injuries - complications; diagnosis

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.