Recovery Among Older Adults Following Mild TBI
Among fall related injuries in older adults, head injuries are the most common, yet almost nothing is known about recovery from head injury, also known as traumatic brain injury or TBI, in this population. The RETRO-TBI study is a prospective cohort study of 250 adults aged 65 and older with mild TBI to evaluate recovery in cognitive, physical and psychological function and sleep quality at four timepoints (2 weeks and 3, 6, and 12 months) over the year following injury and identify factors associated with recovery trajectories. The potential impact of this work is that it will generate new knowledge that will guide targeted treatment efforts and inform future development of strategies to optimize recovery following this common fall-related injury among older adults.
• Aged 65 years or older
• Treated for mild TBI (defined below) at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (STC) or at one of six University of Maryland Affiliated Hospitals within 72 hours of injury
• Mild TBI was defined as:
‣ Traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function, as manifested by at least one of the following 1) loss of consciousness ≤30 minutes, post-traumatic amnesia \<24 hours, observed or self-reported transient confusion, disorientation, or impaired consciousness, or neurologic deficit as defined by a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13-14 on admission.
⁃ GCS of 15 with no other evidence of mild TBI was also accepted with positive computed tomography image.