TY - JOUR
T1 - A multicentre follow-up of clinical aspects of traumatic spinal cord injury
AU - Pagliacci, M. C.
AU - Franceschini, M.
AU - Di Clemente, B.
AU - Agosti, M.
AU - Spizzichino, L.
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - Study design: Prospective, multicentred follow-up (FU) observational study. Objectives: Prospectively evaluate survival, complications, re-admissions and maintenance of clinical outcome in people experiencing traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Seven spinal units and 17 rehabilitation centres participating in the previous GISEM (ie Italian Group for the Epidemiological Study of Spinal Cord Injuries) study. Method: A total of 511 persons with SCI, discharged between 1997 and 1999 after their first hospitalisation, were enrolled. A standardised questionnaire was administered via telephone. Results: Of the 608 persons originally enrolled, 36 died between discharge and follow-up (mean 3.8±0.64 years). Of the remainder, 403 completed telephone interviews, 72 refused to participate and 97 could not be contacted. More than half of the patients interviewed (53.6%) experienced at least one SCI-related clinical problem in the 6 months preceding interview; the most frequent being urological complications (53.7%). At least one re-admission was recorded in 56.8% of patients between discharge and FU interview. Of the patients interviewed, 70.5% reported bowel autonomy and 86% bladder management autonomy. On multivariate analysis, lack of bowel/bladder autonomy was the most common variable with a strong predicting value for mortality, occurrence of complications and re-admissions. Conclusion: Re-admission and major complications seem common after SCI and should be considered when planning facilities. Failure to obtain bowel/bladder autonomy upon discharge from rehabilitation proved to be the most common predictive factor of poor outcome during the period between discharge and FU interview.
AB - Study design: Prospective, multicentred follow-up (FU) observational study. Objectives: Prospectively evaluate survival, complications, re-admissions and maintenance of clinical outcome in people experiencing traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Seven spinal units and 17 rehabilitation centres participating in the previous GISEM (ie Italian Group for the Epidemiological Study of Spinal Cord Injuries) study. Method: A total of 511 persons with SCI, discharged between 1997 and 1999 after their first hospitalisation, were enrolled. A standardised questionnaire was administered via telephone. Results: Of the 608 persons originally enrolled, 36 died between discharge and follow-up (mean 3.8±0.64 years). Of the remainder, 403 completed telephone interviews, 72 refused to participate and 97 could not be contacted. More than half of the patients interviewed (53.6%) experienced at least one SCI-related clinical problem in the 6 months preceding interview; the most frequent being urological complications (53.7%). At least one re-admission was recorded in 56.8% of patients between discharge and FU interview. Of the patients interviewed, 70.5% reported bowel autonomy and 86% bladder management autonomy. On multivariate analysis, lack of bowel/bladder autonomy was the most common variable with a strong predicting value for mortality, occurrence of complications and re-admissions. Conclusion: Re-admission and major complications seem common after SCI and should be considered when planning facilities. Failure to obtain bowel/bladder autonomy upon discharge from rehabilitation proved to be the most common predictive factor of poor outcome during the period between discharge and FU interview.
KW - Clinical outcome
KW - Complications
KW - Follow-up
KW - Re-admission
KW - Survival
KW - Traumatic spinal cord injury
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U2 - 10.1038/sj.sc.3101991
DO - 10.1038/sj.sc.3101991
M3 - Article
C2 - 17102809
AN - SCOPUS:34249936958
VL - 45
SP - 404
EP - 410
JO - Spinal Cord
JF - Spinal Cord
SN - 1362-4393
IS - 6
ER -