Rehabilitation of severe traumatic head injured patients [deep coma] by tactile, thermal, visual and auditory stimulation

Introduction: The following research intends to determine the effects of a sensory stimulation program and the level of consciousness in patients with sever head injuries. The main hypothesis is these sensory stimulation programs will reduce the level of consciousness and duration of hospitalization in comparison with those without

Material and methods: this study was conducted in two patient groups [each group consisted of 22 patients] during a 6 month period in the ICU ward of Kamiab Hospital, Mashhad, Iran

Results: there was no statistically significant difference between levels of consciousness in the two groups; however there was a significant difference in the average duration of hospitalization