Toward a coherent structuration of disorders of consciousness expertise at a country scale: A proposal for France

International survey on the implementation of the European and American guidelines on disorders of consciousness

Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic procedures for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoCs) vary significantly across countries and clinical settings, likely due to organizational factors (e.g., research vs. non-academic hospitals), expertise and availability of resources (e.g., financial and human). Two international guidelines, one from the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and one from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in collaboration with the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), were developed to facilitate consistent practice among professionals working with this challenging patient population. While the recommendations of both guidelines agree in principle, it remains an open issue how to implement them into clinical practice in the care pathway for patients with pDoCs. We conducted an online survey to explore health professional clinical practices related to the management of patients with pDoCs, and compare said practices with selected recommendations from both the guidelines. The survey revealed that while some recommendations are being followed, others are not and/or may require more honing/specificity to enhance their clinical utility. Particular attention should be given to the implementation of a multimodal assessment of residual consciousness, to the detection and treatment of pain, and to the impact of restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemics on the involvement of patients' families/representatives.

Ethics Along the Continuum of Research Involving Persons with Disorders of Consciousness

Interest in disorders of consciousness (DoC) has grown substantially over the past decade and has illuminated the importance of improving understanding of DoC biology; care needs (use of monitoring, performance of interventions, and provision of emotional support); treatment options to promote recovery; and outcome prediction. Exploration of these topics requires awareness of numerous ethics considerations related to rights and resources. The Curing Coma Campaign Ethics Working Group used its expertise in neurocritical care, neuropalliative care, neuroethics, neuroscience, philosophy, and research to formulate an informal review of ethics considerations along the continuum of research involving persons with DoC related to the following: (1) study design; (2) comparison of risks versus benefits; (3) selection of inclusion and exclusion criteria; (4) screening, recruitment, and enrollment; (5) consent; (6) data protection; (7) disclosure of results to surrogates and/or legally authorized representatives; (8) translation of research into practice; (9) identification and management of conflicts of interest; (10) equity and resource availability; and (11) inclusion of minors with DoC in research. Awareness of these ethics considerations when planning and performing research involving persons with DoC will ensure that the participant rights are respected while maximizing the impact and meaningfulness of the research, interpretation of outcomes, and communication of results.

Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: Are They Nonconscious, Unconscious, or Subconscious? Expanding the Discussion

Unprecedented advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) have given rise to ethical questions about how to recognize and respect autonomy and a sense of agency of the personhood when those capacities are themselves disordered, as they typically are in patients with DoC. At the intersection of these questions rests the distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness. Indeed, evaluations of consciousness levels and capacity for recovery have a significant impact on decisions regarding whether to discontinue or prolong life-sustaining therapy for DoC patients. However, in the unconsciousness domain, there is the confusing array of terms that are regularly used interchangeably, making it quite challenging to comprehend what unconsciousness is and how it might be empirically grounded. In this opinion paper, we will provide a brief overview of the state of the field of unconsciousness and show how a rapidly evolving electroencephalogram (EEG) neuroimaging technique may offer empirical, theoretical, and practical tools to approach unconsciousness and to improve our ability to distinguish consciousness from unconsciousness and also nonconsciousness with greater precision, particularly in cases that are borderline (as is typical in patients with DoC). Furthermore, we will provide a clear description of three distant notions of (un)consciousness (unconsciousness, nonconsciousness, and subconsciousness) and discuss how they relate to the experiential selfhood which is essential for comprehending the moral significance of what makes life worth living.

Optimising recovery of consciousness after coma. From bench to bedside and vice versa

BACKGROUND

Several methods have been proposed to foster recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC).

OBJECTIVE

Critically assess pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for patients with chronic DoC.

METHODS

A narrative mini-review, and critical analysis of the scientific literature on the various proposed therapeutic approaches, with particular attention to level of evidence, risk-benefit ratio, and feasibility.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Personalised sensory stimulation, median nerve stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), amantadine and zolpidem all have favourable risk-benefit ratios and are easy to implement in clinical practice. These treatments should be proposed to every patient with chronic DoC. Comprehensive patient management should also include regular lifting, pain assessment and treatment, attempts to restore sleep and circadian rhythms, implementation of rest periods, comfort and nursing care, and a rehabilitation program with a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in this field. More invasive treatments may cause adverse effects and require further investigation to confirm preliminary, encouraging results and to better define responders' intervention parameters. Scientific studies are essential and given the severity of the disability and handicap that results from DoC, research in this area should aim to develop new therapeutic approaches.

Description and Outcome of Severe Hypoglycemic Encephalopathy in the Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND

Disorders of consciousness due to severe hypoglycemia are rare but challenging to treat. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to describe our multimodal neurological assessment of patients with hypoglycemic encephalopathy hospitalized in the intensive care unit and their neurological outcomes.

METHODS

Consecutive patients with disorders of consciousness related to hypoglycemia admitted for neuroprognostication from 2010 to 2020 were included. Multimodal neurological assessment included electroencephalography, somatosensory and cognitive event-related potentials, and morphological and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with quantification of fractional anisotropy. Neurological outcomes at 28 days, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after hypoglycemia were retrieved.

RESULTS

Twenty patients were included. After 2 years, 75% of patients had died, 5% remained in a permanent vegetative state, 10% were in a minimally conscious state, and 10% were conscious but with severe disabilities (Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended scores 3 and 4). All patients showed pathologic electroencephalography findings with heterogenous patterns. Morphological brain MRI revealed abnormalities in 95% of patients, with various localizations including cortical atrophy in 65% of patients. When performed, quantitative MRI showed decreased fractional anisotropy affecting widespread white matter tracts in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall prognosis of patients with severe hypoglycemic encephalopathy was poor, with only a small fraction of patients who slowly improved after intensive care unit discharge. Of note, patients who did not improve during the first 6 months did not recover consciousness. This study suggests that a multimodal approach capitalizing on advanced brain imaging and bedside electrophysiology techniques could improve diagnostic and prognostic performance in severe hypoglycemic encephalopathy.