New test for consciousness in ‘comatose’ patients
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2011) The Coma Science Group (CRCyclotron, University of Liège /Liège University Hospital), led by Dr Steven Laureys, has developed, along with its partners in London, Ontario, (Canada) and Cambridge (England), a portable test which will permit a simpler and less costly diagnosis of ‘vegetative’ patients who still have consciousness, despite the fact that they do not have the means to express it.
The researchers’ conclusions are published this week in The Lancet.
The desire to develop this easy test of consciousness, at the patient’s bedside, follows on from previous research carried out by the Coma Science Group. Professor Steven Laureys and his colleagues had in effect already demonstrated, in 2009, that 40% of so-called ‘vegetative’ patients had been badly diagnosed and that in reality they retained a certain degree of consciousness. Following on from this study Laureys’ team at the University Hospital of Liège, on the recommendation of the Federal Health Service, was able to prescribe the compulsory use of a specially designed scale of consciousness (the coma recovery scale), now used in every coma specialist centre in Belgium.
In 2010 the Coma Science Group researchers and their colleagues at Cambridge (England) made another fundamental breakthrough in showing that it was possible to communicate with ‘vegetative’ patients through the means of scanners whose technology was based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Classically, the clinical evaluation of coma always proceeded via a muscular response to a stimulus. This study showed that, thanks to fMRI, a physician could detect traces of consciousness and even communicate with so-called ‘vegetative’ patients due to the fact that they mentally responded in an appropriate manner to a task suggested by the evaluator. Scientifically revolutionary, using functional magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of comas is nevertheless very expensive, and not every hospital is equipped with or has access to it.
“That means that this portable test can be carried out in every health care centre and even at home!” says Camille Chatelle, a neuropsychologist and one of the new study’s co-authors.
Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Liège, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Related News:
- Implantable medical device is designed to warn patients of impending heart attack
- Diet, exercise not enough for some patients
- Promising new drug could help patients battling deadly and difficult to treat form of melanoma
- Substance P causes seizures in patients infected by pork tapeworm
- Inherited risk factors for childhood leukemia are more common in Hispanic patients, study finds
- Reusing pacemakers from deceased patients is safe and effective, study finds
- Probiotics reduce infections for patients in intensive care, study finds
- Nearly 10 percent of patients undergoing procedure such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement readmitted to hospital within 30 days
- Elderly emergency patients less likely to receive pain medication than middle-aged patients
- GP receptionists help safeguard patients in repeat prescribing, finds study
Details :
Submited at Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 7:00 am on Health by samantha
Comment RSS 2.0 - leave a comment - trackback