Predictors of Acute Transfer and Mortality Within 6 Months From Admission to an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility for Patients With Brain Tumors.

Objective: To obtain useful information for clinicians in evaluating patients with brain tumors for transfer to and subsequent care in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs).

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Participants: A total of 208 adults with either initial or recurrent brain tumors who were admitted to an IRF between January 2017 and December 2018 after an acute hospitalization.

Interventions: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transfer from an IRF to an acute care hospital and mortality within 6 months from admission to an IRF.

Results: Of the 208 patients who met inclusion criteria, 20.2% were transferred to an acute care hospital during the IRF stay, which was associated with prior chemotherapy, steroid use, and laterality of tumor. In total, 36.9% of patients with brain tumors died within 6 months of an IRF admission that was associated with recurrent tumor diagnosis, prior chemotherapy, prior neurosurgical intervention, prior neurostimulant use, use of steroids, isocitrate dehydrogenase and O6-methyl-guanyl-methyl-transferase biomarkers, and laterality and location of tumor.

Conclusions: Patients with brain tumors have a notable potential for acute hospital transfer and mortality within 6 months of IRF stay, with several tumor- and treatment-related risk factors. This information can help identify functional goals, identify high risk patients, enable closer clinical monitoring, and facilitate focused care discussions at IRFs.