Sleep Patterns in Comatose Patients May Predict Their Chances of Waking Up

It is currently impossible to predict when a comatose patient might become conscious again. Some patients wake up minutes or days after a brain injury, while a rare few regain partial consciousness after decades. Others, however, remain unconscious for the rest of their lives. New research suggests that sleep patterns in comatose patients could help predict their chances of waking up. Researchers at Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital cross-referenced sleep patterns in comatose patients with their recovery rates and discovered a promising link. As detailed in a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, this approach has the potential to transform the care of unresponsive brain-injury patients and provide accurate predictions for worried loved ones. “Families of my patients ask me all the time, will my mother wake up? How is my mother going to look in three, six, or 12 months? Very often we cannot guide them very precisely, and it’s crucial that we impr ... Read full article.