Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Mar/Apr;132(2):251-259.
doi: 10.1177/0033354916687748. Epub 2017 Jan 30.

Traumatic Brain Injury Incidence, Clinical Overview, and Policies in the US Military Health System Since 2000

Thomas M Swanson  1   2   3 , Brad M Isaacson  1   2 , Cherina M Cyborski  1   4 , Louis M French  1   4   5 , Jack W Tsao  1   6 , Paul F Pasquina  1   7
Affiliations
Review

Traumatic Brain Injury Incidence, Clinical Overview, and Policies in the US Military Health System Since 2000

Thomas M Swanson et al. Public Health Rep. 2017 Mar/Apr.

Abstract

Exposure to explosive armaments during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom contributed to approximately 14% of the 352 612 traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnoses in the US military between 2000 and 2016. The US Department of Defense issued guidelines in 2009 to (1) standardize TBI diagnostic criteria; (2) classify TBI according to mechanism and severity; (3) categorize TBI symptoms as somatic, psychological, or cognitive; and (4) systematize types of care given during the acute and rehabilitation stages of TBI treatment. Polytrauma and associated psychological and neurologic conditions may create barriers to optimal rehabilitation from TBI. Given the completion of recent combat operations and the transition of TBI patients into long-term care within the US Department of Veterans Affairs system, a review of the literature concerning TBI is timely. Long-term follow-up care for patients who have sustained TBI will remain a critical issue for the US military.

Keywords: TBI; blast injury; classification; military; traumatic brain injury.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Management of Concussion/mTBI Working Group. VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Washington, DC: US Department of Veterans Affairs, US Department of Defense; 2016.
    1. Bagalman E. Traumatic Brain Injury Among Veterans. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service; 2013.
    1. Terrio H, Brenner LA, Ivins BJ, et al. Traumatic brain injury screening: preliminary findings in a US Army Brigade Combat Team. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2009;24(1):14–23. - PubMed
    1. Taber KH, Hurley RA. OEF/OIF deployment-related traumatic brain injury. PTSD Res Q. 2010;21(1):1–8.
    1. US Department of Defense, US Department of Veterans Affairs. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Task Force report recommendation and summary. https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=482727. Published 2008. Accessed October 9, 2016.

Publication types