Quality of life to four years in traumatic brain injury critical patients

Results 531 patients. Mean age 40.35 ± 19.75 years, APACHE-II 17.94 ± 6.97, admission GCS 7.53 ± 3.83 points. Computerized tomography (CT) on admission by Marshall score was: diffuse injury type I (10.4%), type II (28.1%), type III (24.5%), type IV (8.3 %), mass evacuated (22.6%), mass not evacuated (6.2%). Hospital mortality 28.6%. 171 patients died at first year (32.2%) (Lost 6.6%) and 181 at 4 years (34.1%) (Lost: 16.2%). The evaluation of the quality of life was performed by PAECC (Project for the Epidemiological Analysis of Critical Care Patients) QOL (Quality of Life) questionnaire (0 points: normal quality of life, 29 points: worst score). Mean score at first year follow-up 9.44 ± 8.73 points (N = 324), indicating high deterioration in quality of life. Mean score at 4 years follow-up was 6.77 ± 7.70 points (N = 238), indicating moderate deterioration in quality of life (p < 0.001). There is an association between between quality of life for four years with the tomographic Marshall score. Quality of life at 4 years in patients with diffuse injury type I was 4.12 ± 5.27 points, with type II 4.91 ± 5.27, 9.05 ± 8.52 with type III, with type IV 13.71 ± 9.51, in evacuated mass 7.11 ± 9 (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis found association between quality of life for four years with the tomographic Marshall score, the depth of coma by GCS, age, hospital stay and functional status by Glasgow Outcome Scale. There was no statistically significant relationship with sex, spinal cord injury, APACHE II and Injury Severity Score (ISS).