Updates in Management of Acute Disorders of Consciousness After Traumatic Injury

Traumatic injury is one of the most common causes of disorders of consciousness (DoC) worldwide, but the management and prognosis of DoC remain enigmatic. The uncertainty surrounding the natural course of DoC, the tendency of consciousness to wax and wane, and a lack of effective treatments outside of avoiding additional insults renders trauma-associated DoC complex for both providers and patient surrogates to navigate. This review explores the acute clinical course of DoC after traumatic injury chronologically and aims to compile recommendations based on the current best practices for diagnosis, management, and prognostication when caring for these patients during their acute hospitalization. Updates from trauma and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) resources, such as the American College of Surgeons, as well as new recommendations in the field of DoC are summarized. Serial clinical assessment with a standardized neurobehavioral battery such as the CRSR-FAST remains the mainstay of clinical care and research for DoC. Accurate diagnosis, multifaceted management, and humility surrounding prognostic discussions are all critical to caring for patients with DoC after trauma. Most of the care for trauma patients with a DoC remains supportive and aimed at avoiding secondary insults while allowing time for the patient’s recovery. In the same way that clinical care focuses on a cycle of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis with each providing insight for the next, ongoing and future DoC research will compound on itself and hopefully lead to more advances in the future.