Predicting the future for patients with severe traumatic br...( This release is available in Th...),Health

Montreal, November 17th, 2008 "How will our loved one come out of this?" After an accident that results in severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI), the answer to this simple question can change everything for a family.

The latest study carried out by Dr. Elaine deGuise, Joanne Leblanc, Mitra Feyz and all the clinicians of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program for Adults at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) describes the tools that are most effective at providing an objective answer to this question almost as soon as patients leave intensive care. The study was published recently in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

"This study is unique as it involved a multidisciplinary team. We could therefore assess the patient from many angles and establish an overall picture," stated Dr. deGuise. "Our findings are important because, in addition to the advice that we can give to families, we can now implement a comprehensive program in the continuum of care that is based on more objective and scientific principles."

When patients with a sTBI leave acute care hospitals (generally between 20 to 29 days after the accident), they undergo standard tests to assess their overall level of functioning and to orientate them to appropriate resources to optimize their recovery.

This study proves that their results can also be used to predict the future development of the patient's general condition. The tests used in this study include the GOS-E (Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale), the NRS-R (Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-Revised), and the FIM (Functional Independence Measure).

"The tests that are regularly performed on all our patients with a sTBI are very effective tools as, based on th
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