Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026
11:05
SECONDs Administration Guidelines: A Fast Tool to Assess Consciousness in Brain-injured Patients
Published on: February 6, 2021
Establishing a prognosis for functional outcome during coma recovery
Theresa Louise-Bender Pape1, Sandra Lundgren, Allen W Heinemann
1The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Research Service, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL 60141, USA. theresa.pape@va.gov
Brain Injury
|July 1, 2006
Summary
Predicting long-term outcomes for severe brain injury (BI) survivors is challenging. This study shows that early data, even when patients are unconscious, can predict functional outcomes one year after severe BI.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Clinical Prognostication
Background:
- Establishing prognosis for severe brain injury (BI) survivors during unconsciousness is clinically challenging.
- Predicting long-term functional outcomes requires reliable data available early in the recovery process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of 1-year functional outcomes in severe BI survivors using data available during unconsciousness.
- To improve the accuracy of prognostication for patients with severe brain injury.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal prognostication study involving 63 unconscious severe BI survivors in inpatient rehabilitation.
- Data collected included 42 independent variables and 16 dichotomous outcomes, with 32 items from the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART).
Main Results:
- Twelve of 16 dichotomous outcomes (activity, participation, environment, quality of life) were significantly predictable (p < 0.05).
- Ten predictors were significant, including etiology, UTI, seizure, hypertension, veteran status, insurance, marital status, recovery of consciousness, time to acute rehabilitation, and length of inpatient stay.
- Eight key predictors are available early or during unconsciousness.
Conclusions:
- Functional outcomes 1-year after severe BI are predictable using early clinical data.
- Prognostication is feasible even when patients remain unconscious, aiding clinical decision-making and patient care planning.
