Recovery after coma from serious brain injury or illness

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Researchers will collect information from medical records during hospitalization, including illness details, treatments, brain imaging, and neurologic exams. For survivors, they will contact participants or caregivers after discharge to assess recovery at scheduled times using questionnaires and structured interviews about physical function, quality of life, and emotional well-being. The study aims to identify factors associated with recovery trajectories after coma from conditions like stroke, cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury, and related neurologic emergencies. It is observational and does not assign any treatments. Participation is limited to adults admitted to the ICU at the San Francisco site.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age greater than or equal to 18 years on the day of hospital admission
* Coma duration of at least 24 hours from presentation to the receiving hospital, or died prior to the 24 hour timepoint without return of consciousness. Coma defined as: GCS score of less than or equal to 10 AND GCS score of less than 6 on the motor component of the GCS(not following commands) AND GCS score less than 3 on the verbal component AND alteration of consciousness not explained by sedation only
* Coma due to a neurological process (Including but not limited to: trauma, stroke, hypoxic- ischemic brain injury (HIBI), CNS infection, seizure, other processes at the discretion of the investigator)
* Admission to the intensive care unit, or deceased prior to admission.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pre-existing score of 5 or less on the motor component of the Glasgow Coma Scale prior to hospital admission.
* Transfer from another acute care hospital in which the motor component of the Glasgow Coma Scale on the day after initial hospital arrival is not known or cannot be reconstructed from medical records or history.
* Coma due to sepsis, systemic metabolic processes (ex: organ failure or sedation).
* GCS score of greater than 2 for eye opening with lack of command following due to a focal brain lesion causing receptive aphasia.
* Prisoner

Where it's running

• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
  San Francisco, California, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Claude Hemphill, MD, MAS — University of California, San Francisco
• Study coordinator: Claude Hemphill, MD, MAS
• Email: claude.hemphill@ucsf.edu
• Phone: 415-476-5100

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.