Abstract:
Previous trauma studies have evaluated outcomes following civilian penetrating brain injuries using mortality and global functional measures. No previous study has documented functional outcomes utilizing a more sensitive measure, such as the FIM, among survivors of penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although there is a high mortality among persons with penetrating brain injuries, the functional outcomes of survivors have not been well documented. We undertook a prospective descriptive study of persons with penetrating brain injury assessing the demographics, disposition, and functional outcomes after acute hospitalization and inpatient rehabilitation