Farmakologiska möjligheter vid hjärnskadebehandling. Rätt läkemedelsval kan optimera rehabiliteringsinsatserna

Acquired brain injuries can lead to cognitive, emotional as well as behavioural sequelae and can have a great impact on the affected person and his or her family. Over the last decade, pharmacological treatment has become an important part of brain injury rehabilitation. There is increasing clinical experience of the use of various drugs affecting neurotransmitters and cerebral function, but the scientific evidence is still limited. Within rehabilitation medicine there is also broad knowledge of when after a brain injury drugs can be used and which drugs that are potentially harmful and can negatively impede on post-injury recovery. In this review, we describe some brain injury signs and symptoms that commonly occur during rehabilitation and how pharmacological intervention can be used to treat these signs and symptoms

Långvarig svår medvetandestörning efter hjärnskada hos vuxna - Nya rekommendationer ger underlag för utredning och rehabilitering.

After severe acquired brain injury some patients develop a prolonged disorder of consciousness (vegetative state or minimally conscious state), and as such cannot actively participate in neurorehabilitation. However, international opinion and recent research developments emphasize the need for involvement of rehabilitation medicine units in the care of these patients. The article presents recommendations for the care of adult patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness, which have been developed by a multidisciplinary working party, in order to promote good care, and identify areas for further improvements