Predictors of six-month inability to return to work in previously employed subjects after mild traumatic brain injury: A TRACK-TBI pilot study

Introduction Return to work (RTW) is an important milestone of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) recovery. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether baseline clinical variables, three-month RTW, and three-month postconcussional symptoms (PCS) were associated with six-month RTW after mTBI. Methods Adult subjects from the prospective multicenter Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury Pilot study with mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale 13–15) who were employed at baseline, with completed three- and six-month RTW status, and three-month Acute Concussion Evaluation (ACE), were extracted. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed for six-month RTW, with focus on baseline employment, three-month RTW, and three-month ACE domains (physical, cognitive, sleep, and/or emotional postconcussional symptoms (PCS)). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals [CI] were reported. Significance was assessed at p < 0.05. Results In 152 patients aged 40.7 ± 15.0 years, 72% were employed full-time at baseline. Three- and six-month RTW were 77.6% and 78.9%, respectively. At three months, 59.2%, 47.4%, 46.1% and 31.6% scored positive for ACE physical, cognitive, sleep, and emotional PCS domains, respectively. Three-month RTW predicted six-month RTW (OR = 19.80, 95% CI [7.61–51.52]). On univariate analysis, scoring positive in any three-month ACE domain predicted inability for six-month RTW (OR = 0.10–0.11). On multivariable analysis, emotional symptoms predicted inability to six-month RTW (OR = 0.19 [0.04–0.85]). Subjects who scored positive in all four ACE domains were more likely to be unable to RTW at six months (4 domains: 58.3%, vs. 0-to-3 domains: 9.5%; multivariable OR = 0.09 [0.02–0.33]). Conclusions Three-month post-injury is an important time point at which RTW status and PCS should be assessed, as both are prognostic markers for six-month RTW. Clinicians should be particularly vigilant of patients who present with emotional symptoms, and patients with symptoms across multiple PCS categories, as these patients are at further risk of inability to RTW and may benefit from targeted evaluation and support.

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Saccadic Eye Movements in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study OPEN ACCESS

Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques ◽

10.1017/s0317167100016279 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 58-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Sarah J. Mullen ◽

Yeni H. Yücel ◽

Michael Cusimano ◽

Tom A. Schweizer ◽

Anton Oentoro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

Saccadic Eye Movements ◽

Post Injury ◽

Persistent Symptoms

Objective:To investigate whether repeat saccadic reaction time (SRT) measurements using a portable saccadometer is useful to monitor patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).Methods:Seven patients with newly-diagnosed mTBI and five agematched controls were prospectively recruited from an emergency Department. Saccadic eye movements, symptom self-reporting and neuropsychological tests were performed within one week of injury and again at follow-up three weeks post-injury. Control patients underwent saccade recordings at similar intervals.Results:Median saccade reaction times were significantly prolonged within one week post-injury in mTBI compared to controls. At follow-up assessment there was no significant between-groups difference. Changes in median SRT between the two assessments were not statistically significant. Four of the seven mTBI patients showed significantly increased SRT at follow-up; three of the mTBI patients and all controls showed no significant change. Among the three mTBI patients with persistent decreased SRT, two experienced loss of consciousness and reported the greatest symptoms, while the third was the only subject with significant decrease in neuropsychological testing scores at both assessments.Conclusion:In three of seven mTBI patients, saccadic eye movements remained delayed within three weeks post-injury. These three patients also showed persistent symptoms or no improvement on neuropsychological testing. This pilot study using a portable saccadometer suggests that comparing SRT from three weeks post-injury to that within one week of injury may be useful for early detection of a subpopulation at risk of persistent disability from mTBI. This finding suggests that further investigation in a large study population is warranted.

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Review for "Analyzing the changes in the brain material properties after a mild traumatic brain injury—A pilot study"

10.1002/eng2.12332/v2/review2 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Material Properties ◽

Brain Material ◽

The Brain

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Severity of Ongoing Post-Concussive Symptoms as a Predictor of Cognitive Performance Following a Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617720001228 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Veronik Sicard ◽

Danielle C. Hergert ◽

Sharvani Pabbathi Reddy ◽

Cidney R. Robertson-Benta ◽

Andrew B. Dodd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Parental Education ◽

Visual Learning ◽

Learning Task ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Group Differences ◽

Post Injury

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to examine the predictors of cognitive performance in patients with pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) and to determine whether group differences in cognitive performance on a computerized test battery could be observed between pmTBI patients and healthy controls (HC) in the sub-acute (SA) and the early chronic (EC) phases of injury. Method: 203 pmTBI patients recruited from emergency settings and 159 age- and sex-matched HC aged 8–18 rated their ongoing post-concussive symptoms (PCS) on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory and completed the Cogstate brief battery in the SA (1–11 days) phase of injury. A subset (156 pmTBI patients; 144 HC) completed testing in the EC (∼4 months) phase. Results: Within the SA phase, a group difference was only observed for the visual learning task (One-Card Learning), with pmTBI patients being less accurate relative to HC. Follow-up analyses indicated higher ongoing PCS and higher 5P clinical risk scores were significant predictors of lower One-Card Learning accuracy within SA phase, while premorbid variables (estimates of intellectual functioning, parental education, and presence of learning disabilities or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) were not. Conclusions: The absence of group differences at EC phase is supportive of cognitive recovery by 4 months post-injury. While the severity of ongoing PCS and the 5P score were better overall predictors of cognitive performance on the Cogstate at SA relative to premorbid variables, the full regression model explained only 4.1% of the variance, highlighting the need for future work on predictors of cognitive outcomes.

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