Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate which conscious behaviour is most frequently detected
using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised in patients with minimally conscious state.
DESIGN: Multicentre, cross-sectional study. SETTING:
One intensive care unit, 8
post-acute rehabilitation centres and 2 long-term facilities. SUBJECTS: Fifty-two
patients with established diagnosis of minimally conscious state of different
aetiology. MAIN MEASURES:
All patients were assessed by the Coma Recovery
Scale-Revised. RESULTS: In most patients (34/52) non-reflexive responses were
identified by two or more subscales of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised, whereas
in 14 patients only the visual subscale could identify cortically-mediated
behaviours, and in the remaining 4 patients only the motor subscale did so.The
clinical signs of intentional behaviour were most often detected by the visual
subscale (43/52 patients) and by the motor subscale (31/52), and least frequently
by the oromotor/verbal subscale (3/52) of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. This
clinical pattern was observed independently from time post-onset and aetiology.
CONCLUSIONS: Non-reflexive visual behaviour, identified by the visual subscale of
Coma Recovery Scale-Revised, is the most frequently detected intentional sign
consistent with the diagnosis of minimally conscious state, independently from
aetiology and time post-onset.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS