Early indication of emergence from vegetative state derived from assessments with the SMART - a preliminary report

An explanatory analysis of data from serial assessments of 30 patients with a diagnosis of vegetative state (persistent vegetative state) was carried out. The data were gathered using the Sensory Modality Assessment and Rehab ilitation Technique (SMART) and the Western Neuro Sensory Stimulation Profi le (WNSSP) on the same day in the week post-admission and, thereafter, at 2 monthly intervals. Seven patients emerged from vegetative state during the study, a further six emerged later (by time of the analysis) and the rest remained in vegetative state. Recovery scores were calculated for each meas ure by subtracting the total score at any one assessment from the total sco re for the subsequent assessment; the largest recovery scores, shown by eac h patient, were noted. it was found that those who emerged later could be d ifferentiated mathematically from those who did not emerge, using largest r ecovery score data from the SMART. This research supports previous findings .