Medical complications in children with central nervous system injuries during inpatient rehabilitation.

Abstract

To investigate the occurrence and consequences of medical complications during inpatient rehabilitation of children with central nervous system (CNS) injury. A prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary rehabilitation centre. Participants aged 2 to 17 years with acquired CNS injury requiring multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation. Data were collected from medical charts and questionnaires on admission and discharge, assessing predefined complications and associated impacts on the rehabilitation process. Of the 64 participants, 59 experienced a total of 183 instances of medical complications, comprising 19 distinct complication types. Most common were sleep disturbances, pain, -constipation, anaemia, infections, spasticity, and malnutrition. No significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of complications and age, gender, or diagnosis group. In total, 74% of the complications were found to have no impact on the rehabilitation process; however, malnutrition, infections, and spasticity could notably lead to interrupted or prolonged stays, altered rehabilitation goals, and worsened functional prognoses. Medical complications frequently occur during inpatient rehabilitation. While many have no significant consequences, malnutrition, infections, and spasticity in particular warrant further attention clinically and in future research.