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Updated: Oct 25, 2026

SECONDs Administration Guidelines: A Fast Tool to Assess Consciousness in Brain-injured Patients
Published on: February 6, 2021
Consciousness and Its Disorders
Gabriel R de Freitas1, Leonardo F Fontenelle2
1Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Neurology, Serviço de Neurologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abstract:
Disorders of consciousness are commonly encountered by neurologists and psychiatrists in clinical practice. It is important that these professionals are familiar with the various nomenclatures and different perspectives among the specialties. The bedside assessment of these patients can provide useful diagnostic and prognostic information. Standardized behavioral assessment was developed for various scenarios, such as coma and delirium, and is superior to traditional assessment. The discovery that complementary tests can reveal the presence of consciousness in unresponsive patients opens a new avenue in the management of these patients.
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