Behavioral Assessment of Nociception on NCS-R

Behavioral Assessment of Nociception on the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness: A Sign of Consciousness

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between behaviorally assessed consciousness levels and responsiveness to nociception in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC)

Patients with a clinical consensus of DOC were enrolled. The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) was used to assess the DOC patients' consciousness levels and the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised (NCS-R) was used to evaluate their pain response over one week. Furthermore, the relationship between behaviorally assessed consciousness levels and pain response was analyzed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• (1) at least 18 years old
• (2) acquired brain injury
• (3) no neuromuscular blockers or sedatives used within 72 hours of enrollment.

Exclusion Criteria:

• (1) functional disorders caused by progressive mental diseases
• (2) persistent seizures
• (3) unstable vital signs
• and/or (4) double upper-limb frustration, fracture.