Health care utilization and outcomes in older adults after Traumatic Brain Injury: A CENTER-TBI study

CENTER-TBI participants and investigators, Marjolein van der Vlegel*, Ana Mikolić, Quentin Lee Hee, Z L Rana Kaplan, Isabel R A Retel Helmrich, Ernest van Veen, Nada Andelic, Nicole V Steinbuechel, Anne Marie Plass, Marina Zeldovich, Lindsay Wilson, Andrew I R Maas, Juanita A Haagsma, Suzanne Polinder

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    27 Citations (Scopus)
    118 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    INTRODUCTION: The incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is increasingly common in older adults aged ≥65 years, forming a growing public health problem. However, older adults are underrepresented in TBI research. Therefore, we aimed to provide an overview of health-care utilization, and of six-month outcomes after TBI and their determinants in older adults who sustained a TBI.

    METHODS: We used data from the prospective multi-center Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) study. In-hospital and post-hospital health care utilization and outcomes were described for patients aged ≥65 years. Ordinal and linear regression analyses were performed to identify determinants of the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and mental health symptoms six-months post-injury.

    RESULTS: Of 1254 older patients, 45% were admitted to an ICU with a mean length of stay of 9 days. Nearly 30% of the patients received inpatient rehabilitation. In total, 554/1254 older patients completed the six-month follow-up questionnaires. The mortality rate was 9% after mild and 60% after moderate/severe TBI, and full recovery based on GOSE was reported for 44% of patients after mild and 6% after moderate/severe TBI. Higher age and increased injury severity were primarily associated with functional impairment, while pre-injury systemic disease, psychiatric conditions and lower educational level were associated with functional impairment, lower generic and disease-specific HRQoL and mental health symptoms.

    CONCLUSION: The rate of impairment and disability following TBI in older adults is substantial, and poorer outcomes across domains are associated with worse preinjury health. Nonetheless, a considerable number of patients fully or partially returns to their preinjury functioning. There should not be pessimism about outcomes in older adults who survive.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2774-2782
    Number of pages9
    JournalInjury
    Volume53
    Issue number8
    Early online date26-May-2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug-2022

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