Conciousness Scanner in Ambulances?

[Arctickat]

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/consciousness-scanner-giving-hope-to-brain-trauma-patients-1.995767

A consciousness scanner developed in Canada is giving hope to brain trauma patients who are trapped in their own bodies.

The team behind the Halifax Consciousness Scanner is hoping to test the device on more brain trauma patients and eventually have units in ambulances and emergency rooms to gain accurate brain status readings of unconscious and semi-conscious patients.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Maybe we should test this on this woman??? Seems her consciousness left her quite a bit ago.

Donna seems to be missing a few pennies from a nickel. This has to have been a joke, I mean no-one can be this stupid or "can they???????"

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/woman-wants-deer-crossing-signs-moved-deer-cross-133853876.html

[Arctickat]

lol, the guy on the radio should have asked:

"So you think that deer just walk down the highway until they see a deer crossing sign before the cross the road?.......Here's your sign."

[Just Plain Ruff]

somehow I think that "Donna" Also wants a "11" button on her phone so when she calls Nine Eleven she won't have to tax her brain.

[DwayneEMTP]

Not being sarcastic, as there is probably a use that I'm not seeing, but can you see a use for such a device in an ambulance?

[Arctickat]

Well, I wouldn't have to muddle through a GCS calculation again. Otherwise, no, I can't see how it could be used in the prehospital setting either.

Edited October 19, 2012 by Arctickat

[eb1040]

http://www.ctvnews.c...tients-1.995767

A consciousness scanner developed in Canada is giving hope to brain trauma patients who are trapped in their own bodies.

The team behind the Halifax Consciousness Scanner is hoping to test the device on more brain trauma patients and eventually have units in ambulances and emergency rooms to gain accurate brain status readings of unconscious and semi-conscious patients.

It would be great to know about Locked-In Syndrome but testing for it is rarely possible until after the brain has been treated for the injury. This may include many hours in IR after CT Scans or MRI or whatever surgical interventions along with burr holes and drains. There may also be several days of a hypothermia protocol along with heavy sedation and maybe even paralytics if necessary. It may take months for the brain to start to heal itself to even where this is a reasonable test. Some tests might be done at 3 months and then again at 6 months as a follow up from ICU.

A great book and okay movie about a real person's experience with locked in syndrome. Imagine it being like having a paralytic with no sedation but living it 24/7 with no way to show you are alert. Due to the nature of some brain injuries your HR and BP responses would not be functioning well enough to be an accurate indication.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401383/

[island emt]

I've had a couple partners it might have been helpful to have on the truck for.

[eb1040]

This is not new since it was also discussed here on this forum a year ago.

http://www.emtcity.com/topic/20185-an-eeg-device-to-replace-the-gcs-thoughts/

The key to many brain injuries is preventing more damage from occuring and getting them definitive care for the swelling, bleeding and hypoxic effects from impair circulation. This may also mean controlling the seizure activity and pain from this injury such as a hemmorhagic cva or from other traumatic injuries. Getting the cooling started could also be one of the interventions although usually initiated in the ICU due to the volatility of these patients to keep them hemodynamically stable. Even small amounts of shivering and obvious seizures would render an EEG tracing useless. Time could be a major factor. Delaying transport to document and transmit a clear reading might not be practical. The initial level of consciousness may change rapidly as the brain reacts to the injury and if intervention is delayed. Taking a higher level of consciousness could also be deceiving leading one to believe everything is better than it actually is. Sometimes this might also be more academic since the intervention for the damage should still be initiated. EEG monitoring can also be done once the patient is in the OR with other sophiscated technology.

However, this could be a useful tool for smaller EDs which utilize telemedicine to communicate with a neurologist or neurosurgeon while the patient is awaiting transfer. It could help determine stabilization for a long transport but the other diagnostics will need to be done which can be digitally transmitted to determine appropriate preps once the patient arrives at a Neuro center. Again prioritizing procedures may need to be considered.

I definitely see this as a useful tool in determining locked in syndrome. But, in American health care that might mean very little in the placement or long term care. Very few Acute Rehabs take locked in syndrome patients due to the lack of insurance days. SubAcutes and SNFs will provide limited amounts of PT and Speech but until the patient can participate in some of the therapy, no insurance will provide much if any coverage for these services.

[Arctickat]

This is not new since it was also discussed here on this forum a year ago.

http://www.emtcity.c...e-gcs-thoughts/

Hmm, considering how anal (sorry Dwayne) I am about duplicate threads on the same topic one would think I should have used the search function a bit more. I tried "Halifax scanner" "Consciousness scanner" and Halifax Consciousness Scanner". weird, it shoulda popped up.