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

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence and consequences of medical complications during inpatient rehabilitation of children with central nervous system (CNS) injury. DESIGN: A prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary rehabilitation centre. SUBJECTS: Participants aged 2 to 17 years with acquired CNS injury requiring multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation. METHODS: Data were collected from medical charts and questionnaires on admission and discharge, assessing predefined complications and associated impacts on the rehabilitation process. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.