BACKGROUND: Much is known about survival after traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet relatively little about survival after anoxic brain injury (ABI).
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether long-term survival after ABI is comparable to that after TBI.
METHODS: We identified 237 patients with ABI and 1,620 with TBI in California who were aged 15 to 35, survived at least 1 year post injury, and were injured in 1986 or later. We analyzed the long-term follow-up data using the Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Model, controlling for age, sex, and severity of disability.
RESULTS: After adjustment for risk factors, no significant differences in long-term survival between ABI and TBI were found (hazard ratio = 0.97; 95% c.i. 0.57–1.65).
CONCLUSIONS: In adolescents and young adults, long-term survival after ABI appears to be similar to that after TBI.
