Rehabilitation and reintegration of polytraumatized patients

: In this randomized study we attempt to verify treatment results, rehabilitation and social reintegration of multiple trauma patients. Two to 4 years after the accident a clinical follow-up examination was carried out on 104 multiple trauma patients with an average age of 29.5 years who had 7.7 single injuries. Patients with injuries of the central nervous system still showed neurological disorders in 32%. The initially determined Glasgow Coma Scale did not correlate with the long-term prognosis of neurological disorders. Only 4 of 38 thoracic injuries had functional disorders-these patients had required long-term ventilation therapy (> 3 weeks). Former abdominal injuries showed no objective disorders in the follow-up. Most of the injuries to the extremities (79.7%) healed without functional disorder. Only patients with lower limb injuries still had complaints. At the time of the checkup 6.7% had still not been able to work (for more than 24 months) and 26.9% for more than 12 months. The disability rate was less than 20% in 64.3%, 7.2% more than 50% and 9.6% more than 80%. Most of these patients had severe head injuries. There was a relationship between reintegration at work and the age of the patients: 49.2% of patients younger than 25 years were working in their previous profession, 26.9% had here re-educated, and only 7.9% were unemployed. However, in the age group older than 25 years, only 29.2% worked in their previous profession and 12.2% had been re-educated. This follow-up study shows that in multiple trauma patients reintegration at work and in social life is possible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)