Semin Neurol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1788807
Review Article

Altered Mental Status at the Extreme: Behavioral Evaluation of Disorders of Consciousness

Neha Dhadwal
1   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
Kyle Cunningham
2   Good Shepherd Penn Partners at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
William Pino
2   Good Shepherd Penn Partners at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
Stephen Hampton*
1   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
David Fischer*
3   Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
› Institutsangaben
Funding This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R25NS06574309), the Pennsylvania Medical Society Innovation Grant, the Neurocritical Care Society Research Training Fellowship, and the University of Pennsylvania Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Program Award.

Abstract

Disorders of consciousness represent altered mental status at its most severe, comprising a continuum between coma, the vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, the minimally conscious state, and emergence from the minimally conscious state. Patients often transition between these levels throughout their recovery, and determining a patient's current level can be challenging, particularly in the acute care setting. Although healthcare providers have classically relied on a bedside neurological exam or the Glasgow Coma Scale to aid with assessment of consciousness, studies have identified multiple limitations of doing so. Neurobehavioral assessment measures, such as the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised, have been developed to address these shortcomings. Each behavioral metric has strengths as well as weaknesses when applied in the acute care setting. In this review, we appraise common assessment approaches, outline alternative measures for fine-tuning these assessments in the acute care setting, and highlight strategies for implementing these practices in an interdisciplinary manner.

* Co-last authors.




Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
05. August 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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