Frequency of factors that complicate the identification of mild traumatic brain injury in level I trauma center patients

Aim: Determine the frequency of factors that complicate identification of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in emergency department patients. Setting: Chart review. Materials & methods: Records of 3042 patients (age 18–45 years) exposed to a potential mechanism of mTBI were reviewed for five co...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Robyn E Furger, Lindsay D Nelson, E Brooke Lerner, Michael A McCrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Aldus Press 2016-03-01
Series:Concussion
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Online Access:https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/cnc.15.11
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Summary:Aim: Determine the frequency of factors that complicate identification of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in emergency department patients. Setting: Chart review. Materials & methods: Records of 3042 patients (age 18–45 years) exposed to a potential mechanism of mTBI were reviewed for five common complicating factors and signs of mTBI. Results: Most patients (65.1%) had at least one complicating factor: given narcotics in the emergency department (43.7%), on psychotropic medication (18.4%), psychiatric diagnosis (15.3%), alcohol consumption near time of admission (14.2%) and preadmission narcotic prescription (8.9%). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the frequency of these confounding factors in this population. Future research should identify how these factors interact with performance on assessment measures to improve evidence-based mTBI assessment in this population.
ISSN:2056-3299