Satisfaction with upper-extremity surgery in individuals with tetraplegia

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 84; no. 8; pp. 1145 - 1149
• Main Authors: STROH WUOLLE, Kathryn, BRYDEN, Anne M, PECKHAM, P. Hunter, MURRAY, Patrick K, KEITH, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier 01.08.2003
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adolescent; Adult; Arm - pathology; Arm - surgery; Artificial Limbs - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Data Collection; Disability Evaluation; Disabled Persons - psychology; Disabled Persons - rehabilitation; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Orthopedic surgery; Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data; Quadriplegia - rehabilitation; Quality of Life; Range of Motion, Articular; Recovery of Function; Spinal Cord Injuries - psychology; Spinal Cord Injuries - rehabilitation; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Tendon Transfer - methods; Tendon Transfer - psychology; Treatment Outcome; Human; Tetraplegia; Nervous system diseases; Spinal cord; Prognosis; Motor system disorder; Quadriplegia; Tendon transfer; Trauma; Quality of life; Orthopedic surgery; Treatment; Central nervous system disease; Transfer; Upper limb; Technique; Patient satisfaction; Rehabilitation; Neurological disorder; Spinal cord disease; Tendon
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0003-9993(03)00292-2

To measure the satisfaction of individuals with tetraplegia with their upper-extremity reconstructive surgery. Survey. Two Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems centers. Sixty-seven individuals with spinal cord injury at the C4 through C8 motor level (107 arms). Participants had upper-extremity surgery to improve function. The surgical procedures included tendon transfers for elbow extension, wrist extension, hand grasp, and pinch or hand grasp neuroprosthesis. A survey was mailed to participants, who were asked to respond to statements such as, "If I had it to do over, I would have the hand/arm surgery again," using a 5-level Likert scale (ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree). Seventy percent of the participants were generally satisfied with the results of their upper-extremity surgery, 77% reported a positive impact on their lives, 68% reported improvements in activities of daily living (ADLs), 66% reported improved independence, 69% reported improvement in occupation, 71% reported improved appearance or neutral, 78% reported their hand worked as well (or neutral) as it did when surgery was first performed, and 86% reported postoperative therapy as being beneficial. Upper-extremity surgery had a positive impact on life, increased ability to perform ADLs and to be independent, and improved quality of life.