ABSTRACT
This chapter examines, from a multidisciplinary medical standpoint, some of the early problems that occur in the acute rehabilitation setting after the occurrence of severe traumatic brain injury. The first part is about the rationale and necessity of adopting proper transfer criteria from intensive care (IC) or neurosurgical units to the rehabilitation ward. Not all patients necessarily need to follow a common path, as individual and general criteria must be taken into account. A safe transfer from an IC unit requires continuity of treatment, appropriate referral and timing, stabilized medical conditions, and patient’s initial collaboration. The second part deals with the necessity to gather an appropriate database to classify patient’s initial status, rehabilitation procedures and intervention, discharge planning, and outcome. The third part deals with a number of relevant associated medical factors which may influence speed and quality of recovery: prevention of venous thromboembolism, nutrition and swallowing, tracheotomy management, treatment of visual disorders and impairments, and subacute neuro-orthopedic and heterotopic ossification treatment.
