Age as a predictor of functional outcome in anoxic brain injury

Objective: To compare the functional outcomes of young and older patients with anoxic brain injury. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Freestanding rehabilitation hospital. Participants: Thirty-four patients with anoxic brain injury (ABI), 18 patients less than 50 years old and 16 patients greater than 50 years old. Intervention: Comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation services. Measurements: Data analyzed included demographic characteristics, rehabilitation hospital length of stay and cost. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores and its various subsets on admission and discharge; FIM efficiency and change; and discharge disposition. Results: Both ABI groups were similar in terms of demographic variables except for age at time of injury. The older group had a shorter length of stay and a lower cost of rehabilitation, but the charges per day were no different from the younger group. In both groups, over 70% of patients were discharged to home. Conclusions: The present study suggests that older anoxic brain injury patients do benefit from inpatient rehabilitation and make gains similar to the younger patients in a shorter length of stay and with lower cost. Therefore, advanced age should not be exclusion criteria for admission to rehabilitation as both groups made significant gains with similar discharge to home rates.