Cognitive Performance of Brazilian Patients With Favorable Outcomes After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive performance of patients with favorable outcomes, determined by the Glasgow Outcome Scale, 1 yr after hospital discharge due to severe traumatic brain injury. Design This was a prospective case-control study. From 163 consecutive adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury included in the study, 73 patients had a favorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4 or 5) 1 yr after hospital discharge and were eligible for the cognitive evaluation, of which 28 completed the evaluations. The latter were compared with 44 healthy controls. Results The average loss of cognitive performance among participants with traumatic brain injury varied between 13.35% and 43.49% compared with the control group. Between 21.4% and 32% of the patients performed below the 10th percentile on three language tests and two verbal memory tests, whereas 39% to 50% performed below this threshold on one language test and three memory tests. Longer hospital stay, older age, and lower education were the most important predictors of worse cognitive performance. Conclusion One year after a severe traumatic brain injury, a significant proportion of Brazilian patients with the favorable outcome determined by Glasgow Outcome Scale still showed significant cognitive impairment in verbal memory and language domains.