Poster 21: Postacute mortality after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

Objective: To establish very long term mortality rates and predictors of mortality for persons after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults. Design: A retrospective cohort study design. Setting: A large inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania. Participants: Consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe TBI who were discharged from the hospital in the years 1974-1984, 1988, and 1989 (N=642). Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Eligible participants were traced and mortality was ascertained up to 24 years postinjury. Results: Poisson regression analyses revealed at least a 2-fold increased risk for mortality in relation to the general population. Preinjury characteristics and levels of disability at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation were among the strongest predictors of mortality. Conclusions: Using rigorous methodology, this study quantifies the increased risk for premature death in the postacute TBI population after a moderate to severe head injury and has clinical relevance for the prevention of premature death.