Paraplegia After Aortic Aneurysm Repair Versus Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Functional Outcome, Complications, and Therapy Intensity of Inpatient Rehabilitation

Abstract 

Yokoyama O, Sakuma F, Itoh R, Sashika H. Paraplegia after aortic aneurysm repair versus traumatic spinal cord injury: functional outcome, complications, and therapy intensity of inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective

To compare outcomes, complications, and therapy intensity of inpatient rehabilitation in patients with paraplegia caused by spinal cord injury associated with aortic aneurysm repair (SCI-AA) versus patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design

Case-controlled study.

Setting

SCI unit in a rehabilitation center.

Participants

Seventeen patients with SCI-AA and 17 patients with traumatic SCI.

Intervention

Standard rehabilitation therapy for SCI.

Main Outcome Measures

Length of stay (LOS) in acute and rehabilitation hospitals; FIM instrument scores; FIM change; FIM efficiency; complications; therapy intensity; and ambulatory state and return to community at discharge.

Results

No significant differences were noted in acute and rehabilitation LOS and admission FIM scores. Discharge FIM scores, FIM change, and FIM efficiencies were significantly lower in the SCI-AA group, which had many complications related to AA and SCI. Intensity of rehabilitation sports therapy in the SCI-AA group was significantly lower than that of the traumatic SCI group, but total therapy intensity did not differ significantly. Both had similar rates of return to ambulatory state and discharge to the community.

Conclusions

SCI-AA patients had many complications that interfered with rehabilitation therapy, and could not achieve functional gains comparable to those with traumatic SCI. However, both groups achieved comparable success with return to ambulatory state and discharge to the community.

Key Words:  Aortic aneurysm , Outcome assessment (health care) , Paraplegia , Postoperative complications , Rehabilitation