title: Medical complications and mortality of patients in the postcomatose unawareness (PC-U) state.
abstract: Almost half of all patients with traumatic brain injury who remain unconscious for more than one month will not recover consciousness and will remain in a state of prolonged postcomatose unawareness (PC-U). The aim of this work is to present the survival rate and medical complications of such patients. The survival time of the 62 patients studied ranged from 2 to 115 months, with a median of 15.5 +/- 22 months. Cumulative mortality figures were 15% at 3 months, 40% at 6 months and 60% and the end of the first year. The figures at the end of the second, third and fifth years were 86%, 87% and 94%, respectively. This type of data may aid in decisions regarding the management of these patients. The longer survival with better treatment of patients in a state of PC-U poses severe ethical, medical, legal and economic problems with which society will have to deal.
authors.affiliation: Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital, Ra'anana, Israel.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sazbon
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Groswasser
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications; D002423:Cause of Death; D003128:Coma / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis