Sensory stimulation of brain-injured individuals in coma or vegetative state: results of a Cochrane systematic review
- PMID: 12194617
- DOI: 10.1191/0269215502cr519oa
Sensory stimulation of brain-injured individuals in coma or vegetative state: results of a Cochrane systematic review
Abstract
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of sensory stimulation programmes in patients in coma or vegetative state.
Design: Systematic review of randomized control trials (RCT) and nonrandomized controlled clinical trials (CCT) comparing any type of stimulation programmes with standard rehabilitation in patients in coma or vegetative state. The Injuries Group specialized register, the Cochrane Controlled trial register, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCHLIT from 1966 to January 2002 were searched without language restriction. Reference lists of articles were scanned and experts in the area contacted to find other relevant studies. Abstracts and papers found were initially screened by one reviewer. Three reviewers independently identified relevant studies, extracted data and assessed study quality, resolving disagreement by consensus.
Outcome measures: Duration of unconsciousness (including coma and vegetative state) defined as the time between trauma and objective recovery of the ability to respond to verbal commands; level of consciousness, as measured by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS); level of cognitive functioning (LCF); functional outcomes, as measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) or by Disability Rating Scale; negative effects (e.g. increased intracranial pressure).
Results: Three studies (one RCT and two CCTs) with 68 traumatic brain-injured patients in total, most of whom were road accident victims, met the inclusion criteria. The overall methodological quality was poor and studies differed widely in terms of study design and conduct. Moreover, due to the diversity in reporting of outcome measures, a quantitative metanalysis was not possible. None of the three studies provided useful and valid results on outcomes of clinical relevance for coma patients.
Conclusions: This systematic review indicates that there is no reliable evidence to support the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation programmes in patients in coma or the vegetative state.
Similar articles
-
Sensory stimulation for brain injured individuals in coma or vegetative state.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;2002(2):CD001427. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001427. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002. PMID: 12076410 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Early rehabilitative concepts in therapy of the comatose brain injured patients.Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2002;79:21-3. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-6105-0_3. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2002. PMID: 11974978
-
Clinical efficacy of stimulation programs aimed at reversing coma or vegetative state (VS) following traumatic brain injury.Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2002;79:53-7. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7091-6105-0_12. Acta Neurochir Suppl. 2002. PMID: 11974988 Review. No abstract available.
-
Analysis of long-term (median 10.5 years) outcomes in children presenting with traumatic brain injury and an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3 or 4.J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2015 Oct;16(4):410-9. doi: 10.3171/2015.3.PEDS14679. Epub 2015 Jul 3. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2015. PMID: 26140392
-
Effectiveness of Sensory Stimulation to Improve Arousal and Alertness of People in a Coma or Persistent Vegetative State After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.Am J Occup Ther. 2016 May-Jun;70(3):7003180030p1-8. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2016.021022. Am J Occup Ther. 2016. PMID: 27089287 Review.
Cited by
-
Factors associated with improvement in impaired consciousness during the acute phase of cerebral infarction: a prospective observational study.J Phys Ther Sci. 2023 Oct;35(10):678-684. doi: 10.1589/jpts.35.678. Epub 2023 Oct 1. J Phys Ther Sci. 2023. PMID: 37791000 Free PMC article.
-
Effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over M1 for consciousness recovery after traumatic brain injury.Brain Behav. 2023 May;13(5):e2971. doi: 10.1002/brb3.2971. Epub 2023 Mar 28. Brain Behav. 2023. PMID: 36977194 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Therapies to Restore Consciousness in Patients with Severe Brain Injuries: A Gap Analysis and Future Directions.Neurocrit Care. 2021 Jul;35(Suppl 1):68-85. doi: 10.1007/s12028-021-01227-y. Epub 2021 Jul 8. Neurocrit Care. 2021. PMID: 34236624 Free PMC article.
-
Neurosensory stimulation outdoors enhances cognition recovery in cognitive motor dissociation: A prospective crossover study.NeuroRehabilitation. 2019;44(4):545-554. doi: 10.3233/NRE-192692. NeuroRehabilitation. 2019. PMID: 31282434 Free PMC article.
-
Disorders of Consciousness in China.Neurosci Bull. 2018 Aug;34(4):605-614. doi: 10.1007/s12264-018-0263-1. Epub 2018 Jul 23. Neurosci Bull. 2018. PMID: 30039244 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
Research Materials
Miscellaneous