New Guideline for Minimally Conscious, Vegetative States Released

Three specialty societies have published a new practice guideline for managing prolonged disorders of consciousness (DoC), focusing on accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

The guidelines, issued by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, updates the earlier 1994 AAN practice parameter on persistent vegetative state and the 2002 case definition for the minimally conscious state (MCS).