Gunshot versus nongunshot spinal cord injury - Acute care and rehabilitation outcomes

Objective: To examine the impact of gunshot-caused spinal cord injury on acute and rehabilitative care outcome using a case control design. Design: Two groups (i.e., gunshot- vs. nongunshot-caused spinal cord injury) of 212 individuals were matched case-for-case on age (i.e., within 10 yr), education, gender, race, marital status, primary occupation, impairment level, and Model System region. Outcome measures included length of hospital stay, functional status (FIM (TM)), treatment charges, and home discharge rates. Results: The two groups did not differ in the length of stay during acute and rehabilitative care, charges during rehabilitative care, or postrehabilitation discharge placement. Several significant between-group differences in treatment procedures were noted (e.g., prevalence of spinal surgery), which may, in part, account for the higher acute-care charges among those persons with nongunshot-caused spinal cord injury. Conclusion: Once an individual is stabilized and admitted for rehabilitative care, gunshot etiology of spinal cord injury seems largely unrelated to the initial rehabilitation outcome.