Posttraumatic amnesia: its relation to functional outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between duration of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) and functional outcome in a traumatically brain injured population.

PATIENTS: Two hundred seventy-six patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were admitted to a Level I university trauma center and required inpatient rehabilitation.

MEASURES: Duration of PTA was assessed by serial administrations of the Galveston Orientation Amnesia Test (GOAT). Functional Independence Measure (FIM) total scores, FIM cognitive and motor subscores, and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) scores were obtained at admission and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

RESULTS: Duration of PTA was a significant predictor of all admission and discharge DRS and FIM scores. Duration of PTA and age at the time of injury, in combination, contributed significantly to the prediction of the DRS score and FIM total, cognitive, and motor scores at discharge.

CONCLUSION: Duration of PTA appears to be a useful variable in predicting specific functional outcome in the TBI population receiving inpatient rehabilitation services. The use of age as a factor in addition to duration of PTA enhances the prediction of functional outcome.