Citation

Cao Y, Selassie AW, Krause JS. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2013; 94(6): 1054-1061.

Affiliation

Department of Health Sciences and Research, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Electronic address: caoyu@musc.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2013.01.022

PMID

23391523

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors associated with mortality among people with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) after discharge from acute care hospitals in South Carolina and to compare their mortality experiences with the general population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: 62 acute care, non-federal hospitals in South Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: 2,685 persons with TSCI in South Carolina. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Death after TSCI from all causes within 4,288 days of observation after discharge from acute care facilities. RESULTS: The crude annual mortality rate during the period was 33 per 1,000 person-years. Number of comorbidities, admission into trauma centers, advancing age, type of insurance, injury level and completeness, and male gender were significantly associated (P <0.05) with the risk of death after discharge from acute care facilities. The overall mortality rate of our cohort is 3.6 times (95% CI, 3.3-3.9) higher than the general population, CONCLUSIONS: The causes of post-discharge deaths are multifactorial, and we should put more emphasis on managing and monitoring chronic diseases throughout the recovery process to improve the survivorship of people with TSCI.

Language: en