Assessment and Management of Pain in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness

Caroline Schnakers; Nathan Zasler

doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.09.016

Assessment and Management of Pain in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness

PM R. 2015 Nov;7(11 Suppl):S270-S277. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.09.016.

Authors

Caroline Schnakers¹, Nathan Zasler^{2

3

4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, University of California-Los Angeles, 300 Stein Plaza, Wasserman Building #554D, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563.
² Concussion Care Centre of Virginia, Richmond, VA.
³ Tree of Life Services, Richmond, VA.
⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.
⁵ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
⁶ School of Health Sciences, Touro College, NY.

PMID: 26568506
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.09.016

Abstract

Pain is a first-person experience that must be reported, verbally or nonverbally, to be correctly assessed. How, then, is pain perception determined in persons who are noncommunicative? This determination is a major clinical challenge because patients with disorders of consciousness are unable to communicate their feelings and possible pain experiences. This review will describe the current knowledge of evaluating pain perception in a minimally conscious state compared with an unconscious state (also known as vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome) and how to approach the management of pain in these 2 populations.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Consciousness Disorders / complications*
Humans
Pain Management*
Pain Measurement*
Pain Perception*