Study Could Help Identify 'Coma' Patients More Likely To Recover

Patients with CMD seem to be able to hear and comprehend verbal commands even though they cannot carry out those instructions because the body does not respond, study author Jan Claassen, a researcher at Columbia University and critical care neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said in a statement. It is thought that around 15 to 20 percent of patients who appear to be in a coma or another unresponsive state display signs of CMD when evaluated with such methods, Claassen told Newsweek. The detection of CMD is reshaping our understanding of patients in comatose or other unresponsive states. [read more]

Source: Newsweek