Community Reintegration After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Achieving effective community reintegration is important to maximize recovery in patients with traumatic brain injury, simultaneously limiting caregiver burden and improving satisfaction with quality of life. Certain medical complications that are common after brain injury may impact community reintegration, and should be addressed by the physician in a systematic approach. Additionally certain social and environmental factors such as mobility or return to work or school may arise, and should be addressed proactively by the physician. Inpatient/residential or outpatient programs with case management and a multi-disciplinary team can facilitate community reentry for patients, and should be considered when available.

Palivizumab prophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus disease in 2000-2001: results from The Palivizumab Outcomes Registry.

The objective of the Registry was to characterize the population of infants receiving prophylaxis for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease by describing the patterns and scope of usage of palivizumab in a cross section of US infants. RSV hospitalization outcomes were also described. The Palivizumab (Synagis, MedImmune, Inc., 25 West Watkins Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878) Outcomes Registry was a prospective multicenter survey conducted at 63 sites. Demographics, injection history, and RSV hospitalization outcomes were collected on 2,116 infants receiving palivizumab. Infants were enrolled in the Registry between September 1, 2000-March 1, 2001, at the time of their first injection. Infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation accounted for 47% of infants enrolled, and those between 32-35 weeks accounted for 45%; approximately 8% were greater than 35 weeks of gestation. Lower RSV hospitalization rates were observed in infants who had greater adherence to regularly scheduled injections. Nearly one-half of all hospitalizations occurred within the first and second injection intervals, suggesting the importance of early RSV protection. The confirmed RSV hospitalization rate of all infants in the Registry was 2.9%; the rate was 5.8% in infants with chronic lung disease of infancy, and 2.1% in premature infants without chronic lung disease. In conclusion, these data support the continued effectiveness of palivizumab prophylaxis for severe RSV lower respiratory tract disease in a large cohort of high-risk infants from geographically diverse pediatric offices and clinics. The Palivizumab Outcomes Registry provides an opportunity to assess palivizumab utilization and clinical effectiveness in the US.