Joint Neuropsychological Assessment through Coma/Near Coma and Level of Cognitive Functioning Assessment Scales Reduces Negative Findings in Pediatric Disorders of Consciousness.

Erika Molteni,Valentina Pastore,Sara Galbiati,Sandra Strazzer,Claudia Fedeli,Monica Recla,Federica Locatelli,Katia Colombo,Susanna Galbiati

doi:10.3390/brainsci10030162

Erika Molteni, Valentina Pastore + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10030162

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Journal: Brain sciences	Publication Date: Mar 12, 2020
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: King's College London, IRCCS Eugenio Medea

Abstract

The present study aimed to: (a) characterize the emergence to a conscious state (CS) in a sample of children and adolescents with severe brain injury during the post-acute rehabilitation and through two different neuropsychological assessment tools: the Rappaport Coma/Near Coma Scale (CNCS) and Level of Cognitive Functioning Assessment Scale (LOCFAS); (b) compare the evolution in patients with brain lesions due to traumatic and non-traumatic etiologies; and (c) describe the relationship between the emergence to a CS and some relevant clinical variables. In this observational prospective longitudinal study, 92 consecutive patients were recruited. Inclusion criteria were severe disorders of consciousness (DOC), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≤8 at insult, age 0 to 18 years, and direct admission to inpatient rehabilitation from acute care. The main outcome measures were CNCS and LOCFAS, both administered three and six months after injury. The cohort globally shifted towards milder DOC over time, moving from overall ‘moderate/near coma’ at three months to ‘near/no coma’ at six months post-injury. The shift was captured by both CNCS and LOCFAS. CNCS differentiated levels of coma at best, while LOCFAS was superior in characterizing the emergence from coma. Agreement between scales was fair, and reduced negative findings at less than 10%. Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) vs. non-traumatic brain injury (NTBI) were older and had neurosurgical intervention more frequently. No relation between age and the level of consciousness was found overall. Concurrent administration of CNCS and LOCFAS reduced the rate of false negatives and better detected signs of arousal and awareness. This provides indication to administer both tools to increase measurement precision.

Highlights

The assessment of the state of consciousness (CS) in patients emerging from coma is a major challenge for all centers delivering acute and post-acute inpatient rehabilitation to victims of acquired brain injury (ABI)
The availability of unprecedentedly refined diagnostic resources has fostered deeper exploration of the disorders of consciousness (DOC). This led to the reconsideration of the vegetative state (VS), called unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) [9], to the definition of the minimally conscious state (MCS) [10,11], and to the distinction of MCS +/- depending on residual capabilities to follow commands and communicate [12]
Two groups of patients were formed consisting of 44 patients with TBI and 48 patients with non-traumatic brain injury (NTBI)

Summary

Introduction

The assessment of the state of consciousness (CS) in patients emerging from coma is a major challenge for all centers delivering acute and post-acute inpatient rehabilitation to victims of acquired brain injury (ABI). Due to the need for frequent inspection of the CS at the bedside and in optimal arousal state, behavioral assessment remains essential [1], despite a high rate of misdiagnoses [2]. The availability of unprecedentedly refined diagnostic resources has fostered deeper exploration of the disorders of consciousness (DOC). This led to the reconsideration of the vegetative state (VS), called unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) [9], to the definition of the minimally conscious state (MCS) [10,11], and to the distinction of MCS +/- depending on residual capabilities to follow commands and communicate [12].

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