Effect of auditory stimulation on traumatic coma duration in intensive care unit of medical sciences university of Mazandarn, Iran

ABSTRACT

Sensory deprivation is one of the common complications of coma patients in the intensive care unit [ICU]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a familiar voice to consciousness level in coma patients. A total of 13 patients with traumatic coma [8 >/= Glasgow's coma scale [GCS]] admitted in ICU ward were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group was treated twice a daily each time 15 min with a familiar recorded MP3 sound for 2 weeks. The control group received only natural voices of environment. GCS applied to evaluate patients' level of consciousness. Findings showed that duration to reach GCS = 15 was significantly shorter in the experimental group [X[2] = 12/96, P < 0/001]. These findings imply that providing familiar auditory stimulation programs for coma patients in the ICU could be effective