CONNECT-ME
Background
70% of deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) occur following a decision to withdraw life-sustaining therapy; in patients with severe acute brain injury, many of these decisions are based on an expectation regarding the patient’s ability to recover consciousness, although the accuracy of cur-rent prognostic indicators that detect the potential for consciousness recovery are limited. Perhaps even more concerning is that 15-25% of clinically unresponsive patients do show evidence of preserved consciousness when using advanced EEG and fMRI technologies. Unfortunately, these patients go undetected in daily ICU practice because such technologies are not clinical routine.
Purpose
This placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over study seeks to investigate the possible effects of ap-omorphine and methylphenidate on signatures of consciousness in patients admitted to the ICU with acute DoC, using automated pupillometry and NIRS-EEG.
Project group
The group consists of:
PhD-students Moshgan Amiri (EEG), Vardan Nersesjan (Eye drops), Anine Skibsted (fMRI), Marwan Othman (Pupillometri).
Consultant Daniel Kondiziella (project owner) and Prof. Kirsten Møller.
