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SECONDs Administration Guidelines: A Fast Tool to Assess Consciousness in Brain-injured Patients
Published on: February 6, 2021
Stroke and disorders of consciousness
Zikrija Dostović1, Dževdet Smajlović, Ernestina Dostović
1Department of Neurology, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology
|September 14, 2012
Summary
Patients with disorders of consciousness experience more severe strokes and higher mortality. The type of consciousness disturbance did not impact stroke severity or mortality rates in this study.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Disorders of consciousness (DoC) are common in stroke patients.
- Understanding the impact of DoC on stroke severity and outcomes is crucial for patient management.
- Existing research may not fully differentiate between quantitative and qualitative DoC in stroke.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the type of consciousness disturbance and stroke severity.
- To determine the impact of DoC on patient mortality.
- To analyze predictors of survival in stroke patients with DoC.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 201 stroke patients.
- Assessment of DoC using the Glasgow Coma Scale and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
- Stroke severity evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale.
Main Results:
- 26.9% of patients presented with DoC.
- DoC was significantly associated with more severe strokes on admission and discharge.
- Patients with DoC exhibited significantly higher mortality rates (P = 0.0001).
- No significant difference in mortality or stroke severity was found between quantitative and qualitative DoC.
- No specific predictors of survival were identified in the DoC group.
Conclusions:
- DoC in stroke patients correlates with increased stroke severity and higher mortality.
- The type of consciousness disturbance (quantitative vs. qualitative) does not appear to influence mortality or stroke severity.
- Further research is needed to identify specific survival predictors in stroke patients with DoC.
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