Article

Objectives: To characterize a spinal cord injury (SCI) population from the 2008
Sichuan earthquake in China; to evaluate functional outcomes of physical
rehabilitation interventions; to assess potential determinants of rehabilitation
effectiveness; and to assess medical complications and management outcomes.
Methods: A total of 51 earthquake victims with SCI were enrolled and underwent
rehabilitation programming. Functional rehabilitation outcomes included
ambulation ability, wheelchair mobility and activities of daily living (ADL)
assessed with the Modified Barthel Index at the beginning and end of
rehabilitation. Effectiveness of rehabilitation and the effect of other
predictors were evaluated by mixed effects regression. Outcomes of medical
complication management were determined by comparison of the incidence of
respective complications at the beginning and end of rehabilitation. Results:
Ambulation, wheelchair mobility and ADL were significantly improved with
rehabilitation programming. Both earlier rescue and earlier onset of
rehabilitation were significant positive predictors of rehabilitation
effectiveness, whereas delayed onset of rehabilitation combined with prolonged
time to rescue resulted in a lesser positive effect. Medical complications were
managed effectively in 63% (pressure ulcers) to 85% (deep vein thrombosis) of
patients during rehabilitation. Conclusion: Earthquake victims with SCI may
achieve significantly improved functional rehabilitation functional outcomes on a
formal, institutional-based physical rehabilitation programme.

Langue : ANGLAIS