Long-term survival of Medicare patients with head injury.

Background: An increasing number of older patients are being hospitalized with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Knowledge of their expected long-term survival may be useful in making clinical decisions.

Methods: Patients age 65 or older admitted for the first time with head injury (ICD-9 800-804 or 850-854) during 1999 were identified in a complete national sample of fee-for-service Medicare hospitalization and denominator data.