Stimulants for disorders of consciousness in the intensive care unit: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

ABSTRACT: In the intensive care unit (ICU), management of unresponsive patients with brain injury focuses on preventing secondary brain damage. Therapeutic strategies that directly promote the recovery of consciousness are urgently needed. In an investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial, we studied the effects of apomorphine and methylphenidate in ICU patients with acute disorders of consciousness (DoC). We hypothesized that these stimulants would improve consciousness biomarkers assessed by automated pupillometry (primary outcome) and clinical signs of consciousness (secondary outcome). We randomized 50 ICU patients with DoC (14 female; mean age 63 ± 10 years; 48 with non-traumatic brain injuries) to strata consisting of three consecutive treatment sessi

SUBMITTER: Othman MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12493042 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature