Guideline on multimodal rehabilitation for patients with post-intensive care syndrome.

Background: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors often experience several impairments in their physical, cognitive, and psychological health status, which are labeled as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). The aim of this work is to develop a multidisciplinary and -professional guideline for the rehabilitative therapy of PICS.

Methods: A multidisciplinary/-professional task force of 15 healthcare professionals applied a structured, evidence-based approach to address 10 scientific questions.

Treatment of upper limb spasticity with inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Upper limb dysfunction is a frequent complication after stroke impairing outcome. Inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the contralesional hemisphere is supposed to enhance the positive effects of conventional rehabilitative treatment.

Objective: This double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial investigated whether inhibitory rTMS as add-on to standard therapy improves upper limb spasticity.

Diagnosis and treatment of neurogenic dysphagia - S1 guideline of the German Society of Neurology.

Introduction: Neurogenic dysphagia defines swallowing disorders caused by diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, neuromuscular transmission, or muscles. Neurogenic dysphagia is one of the most common and at the same time most dangerous symptoms of many neurological diseases. Its most important sequelae include aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration, and affected patients more often require long-term care and are exposed to an increased mortality.

Auditory Stimulation Modulates Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome Patients.

Passive listening to music is associated with several psychological and physical benefits in both, healthy and diseased populations. In this fMRI study, we examined whether preferred music has effects on the functional connectivity within resting-state networks related to consciousness. Thirteen patients in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and 18 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled.

The influence of the CRS-R score on functional outcome in patients with severe brain injury receiving early rehabilitation.

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the role of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) in the prediction of functional status at the end of neurological early rehabilitative treatment.

Methods: Patients consecutively admitted to intensive or intermediate care units of a neurological rehabilitation center were enrolled in the study. Consciousness and functional status were assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) and the Early Rehabilitation Barthel Index (ERBI), respectively.

[Results of case evaluations by the medical services of the paying health insurances in neurological early rehabilitation].

Evaluations of cases of a neurological early rehabilitation clinic carried out by the medical services of health insurances (2018) are described and analyzed. More than a quarter of the 1098 cases were evaluated. Examinations focused on hours of ventilation, unnecessary hospitalization, intensity of nursing and features of the definition of early neurological rehabilitation.

[Inter-Professional Communication Between Nursing Therapists and other Therapeutic Professions (Physio-, Occupation and Speech Therapy) in Neurological Early Rehabilitation].

Purpose: A comparison of inter-professional communication within the core therapeutic teams including nurses in 5 neurological early rehabilitation hospitals of one non-profit organization was supposed to indicate factors facilitating and impairing cooperation.

Methods: Data collection was conducted through analysis of architecture plans, passive participating observation in 10 wards and through partly standardized interviews (N=39). Participants were nurses, physio-, occupational and speech therapists.

Inter-professional communication and interaction in the neurological rehabilitation team: a literature review.

Neurological early rehabilitation aims at regaining cooperativity and acquiring rehabilitation capability with brain-injured patients, most of whom are transferred from Intensive Care Units, most of whom still require intensive care and suffer from disorders of consciousness. In neurological early rehabilitation, therapeutic nursing is an integral part of the therapeutic team. Other than the specialized therapists, nurses are present on the ward 24/7, which gives them a closer perspective on the patient.

[Guideline "Legal evaluation after closed brain injury in adulthood"].

In 2005 and 2013, the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurowissenschaftliche Begutachtung" (German Society for Neuroscientific Evaluation) together with other societies developed and consented guidelines fort the legal evaluation of patients with closed head injuries and published them trough the National Working Group of Scientific Medical Societies and in this journal. Five years later, a revision was necessary, this was developed on the higher S2 k level of consent through a Delphi conference.

Factors influencing weaning from mechanical ventilation in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients.

Background: Studies analyzing risk factors of weaning failure in neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation (NNER) patients are rare.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify clinical factors influencing the weaning of NNER patients.

Design: An observational, retrospective data analysis of a German multicenter study was performed.

[Prolonged weaning during early neurological and neurosurgical rehabilitation : S2k guideline published by the Weaning Committee of the German Neurorehabilitation Society (DGNR)].

Prolonged weaning of patients with neurological or neurosurgery disorders is associated with specific characteristics, which are taken into account by the German Society for Neurorehabilitation (DGNR) in its own guideline. The current S2k guideline of the German Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine is referred to explicitly with regard to definitions (e.g.

Weaning of neurological early rehabilitation patients from mechanical ventilation: a retrospective observational study.

Background: There is little known about the factors influencing the weaning process of long-term mechanically ventilated patients in the neurological early rehabilitation.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify salient clinical and neurophysiological variables with impact upon weaning from mechanical ventilation during neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation.

Design: Observational, retrospective data analysis.

Outcome of neurological early rehabilitation patients carrying multi-drug resistant bacteria: results from a German multi-center study.

Background: Colonization or infection with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is considered detrimental to the outcome of neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients.

Methods: In a German multi-center study, 754 neurological early rehabilitation patients were enrolled and and reviewed in respect to MDR status, length of stay (LOS) and the following outcome variables: Barthel Index (BI), Early Rehabilitation Index (ERI), Glasgow Outcome Score Extended (GOSE), Coma Remission Scale (CRS), Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC).

Results: The mean age of the study population was 68.