PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Richelle M Mayfield
AU  - Lindsey Shepherd
AU  - Tamara C Valovich McLeod
AU  - R Curtis Bay
TI  - Sport concussion assessment tool-2 (SCAT2) scores in the acute phase following concussion in high school athletes
AID  - 10.1136/bjsports-2012-092101.49
DP  - 2013 Apr 01
TA  - British Journal of Sports Medicine
PG  - e1--e1
VI  - 47
IP  - 5
4099  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/47/5/e1.44.short
4100  - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/47/5/e1.44.full
SO  - Br J Sports Med2013 Apr 01; 47
AB  - Objective To investigate changes in SCAT2 scores in high school athletes in the first 10 days post-concussion. Design Within subjects, repeated measures. Setting High school athletic facilities. Patients 119 high school athletes who sustained a sport-related concussion diagnosed by their athletic trainer (102 males, 15 females, and 2 missing, age=15.8±1.2, grade=10.0±1.0 level). Interventions The SCAT2 was administered during a preseason baseline, day of injury (DOI), and days 3 (D3) and 10 (D10) post-concussion. The SCAT2 total score is calculated by summing each component score, and has a maximum of 100 points. Main Outcome Measures Day of testing served as the independent variable and the dependent variable was SCAT2 total score. Analyses were conducted using a generalised estimating equations approach to accommodate repeated measures of the same participants. An inverse Gaussian distribution and identity link were specified, along with robust variance estimators. Follow-up pairwise tests employed a Bonferroni correction. Results The omnibus test was significant (p<0.001). Scores at DOI (73.5, 95% CI 70.8 to 76.1) were significantly lower than BL (86.0, 95% CI 84.8 to 87.3). D3 scores (79.8, 95% CI 77.2 to 82.3) remained significantly lower than BL, but were significantly higher than DOI. Scores at D10 (88.8, 95% CI 87.3 to 90.3) were significantly higher than DOI, D3, and BL. Conclusions SCAT2 scores decreased significantly during the first 3 days post-concussion, demonstrating impairments in a composite score that includes symptoms, mental status, and balance. Deficits in the SCAT2 recovered to levels above baseline by D10, indicating a resolution of concussion related impairments. Acknowledgements This study was funded by a grant from the National Operating Committee for Standards on Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). Competing interests None.