Artikel
Quality of life after multiple injuries: results from the German "Polytrauma" Study
Lebensqualität nach Mehrfachverletzungen: Resultate der deutschen Multizenterstudie "Polytrauma"
Suche in Medline nach
Autoren
Veröffentlicht: | 4. Mai 2005 |
---|
Gliederung
Text
Objective
Quality of life (QOL) was evaluated in a long-term follow-up after severe head injury with multiple injuries and related with early clinical and radiological findings.
Methods
In a prospective study a long-term follow-up 2 years after the injury was evaluated in 100 patients. QOL assesment was based on details concerning ability to work and familiy life.
Results
QOL was significantly correlated with the duration of coma and radiological data on the initial cranial computertomography scan (compression of the basal cisternes; presence of an intracerebral hemorrhage). The correlation of the coma grade 24 hours after hospital admission depended on the scales applied: the Glasgow Coma Score did not influence QOL data, while other scores, based on the pupillary status, were highly significantly correlated with outcome. Additional multiple injuries impaired QOL significantly. QOL was mostly reduced in patients after multiple injury including brain injury, less after isolated brain injury and only little after multiple injury without brain injury.
Conclusions
Quality of life after injuries particularily depends on a concomitant brain injury. Statistical analysis of QOL data allow a differentiation of the consequences of cranial and extracranial injuries and the proposal of an outcome score specific for brain injuries.