Coma arousal procedure: a therapeutic intervention in the treatment of head injury. Response of head-injured patients to sensory stimulation. Biochemical and physiological parameters of recovery in acute severe head injury: responses to multisensory stimulation.
This study reports on the efficacy of a 'coma arousal procedure'. This procedure involved a programme of vigorous sensory stimulation administered to comatose patients by relatives using Comakits. An experimental group of 12 severely head-injured patients received the coma arousal procedure while a matched control group did not. Total duration of coma and weekly Glasgow Coma Scale Scores were recorded for the two groups. Results indicate that the total duration of coma was significantly shorter and that coma lightened more rapidly for the experimental group. nan We investigated the efficacy of applying a programme of multisensory stimulation to patients with severe diffuse traumatic brain injury, during their admission to a tertiary neurosurgical intensive care unit. We attempted to determine the nature and extent of any physiological or biochemical changes occurring as a result of the multisensory stimulation in the initial period of their comatose state. The findings were inconclusive with no significant treatment effect demonstrated.
This systematic review indicates that there is no reliable evidence to support, or rule out, the effectiveness of multisensory programmes in patients in coma or vegetative state.