Long-Term Outcomes Better Than Expected for Many With Severe TBI
Long-term outcomes for a significant proportion of patients with severe brain injury are better than expected, in new findings that caution against making early, definitive prognoses of poor outcomes and decisions to withdraw life-sustaining treatment.
Investigators found patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently demonstrated major functional gains, including recovery of independence between 2 weeks and 12 months post-injury, and severe impairment in the short-term did not always lead to poor long-term outcomes.
“When discussing prognosis during the first 2 weeks after injury, clinicians should be particularly cautious about making early, definitive prognostic statements suggesting poor outcomes and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in patients with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury,” conclude the investigators, led by Geoffrey Manley, MD, PhD, professor and vice-chair of neurological surgery, University of California San Francisco.