Цель исследования работы - достоверно различить синдром малого сознания от синдрома ареактивного бодрствования (вегетативного состояния) с помощью электромиографии. В рамках проведенной работы были использованы теоретический, психодиагностический и статистический методы. В качестве методик были использованы шкала комы Глазго, шкала восстановления после комы (пересмотренная), электромиография, компьютерная томография. В первой главе «Теоретический обзор термина синдром малого сознания» представлены взгляды отечественных и зарубежных авторов на проблему нарушения сознания, его видов, функций и механизмов формирования, а также на проблему диагностики и реабилитации пациентов в состоянии малого сознания. Во второй главе «Эмпирическое исследование нарушений сознания» представлен ход исследования уровня сознания и двигательной активности у пациентов с нарушением сознания, результаты статистической обработки полученных данных и их обсуждение. В результате проведенной работы было выявлено, отсутствие значимых различий поведенческой реакции пациента, в случаях сравнения пациентов с диагнозом синдром малого сознания «минус» и синдром малого сознания «плюс». Статистически значимые различия двигательной реакции были найдены при сравнении пациентов с синдромом ареактивного бодрствования и пациентов с синдромом малого сознания «плюс». При сравнении пациентов с синдромом ареактивного бодрствования и синдромом малого сознания «минус» были получены не однозначные результаты, так как значимые отличия выявились лишь в одном сравнении. / Purpose: to reliably distinguish minimally consciousness syndrome from the vegetative state (unresponsive wakefulness syndrome) using electromyography. Theoretical, psychodiagnostic and statistical methods were used in this work. The methods used were the Glasgow coma scale, the coma recovery scale (revised), electromyography, and computed tomography. The first Chapter "Theoretical overview of the term small consciousness syndrome" presents the views of domestic and foreign authors on the problem of impaired consciousness, its types, functions and mechanisms of formation, as well as on the problem of diagnosis and rehabilitation of patients in a state of small consciousness. The second Chapter, "Empirical study of consciousness disorders", presents the progress of research on the level of consciousness and motor activity in patients with impaired consciousness, the results of statistical processing of the data obtained and their discussion. As a result of the conducted work, it was revealed that there were no significant differences in the patient's behavioral response, in cases of comparing patients with the diagnosis of small consciousness syndrome "minus" and small consciousness syndrome "plus". Statistically significant differences in motor response were found when comparing patients with areactive wakefulness syndrome and patients with small consciousness syndrome "plus". When comparing patients with areactive wakefulness syndrome and small consciousness syndrome "minus", not unambiguous results were obtained, since significant differences were revealed only in one comparison.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-02-15T13:58:43Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Caio_Morais_UFPE_biblccs_v4_07.pdf: 2958381 bytes, checksum: 1504e0cbe3d131daab3b28990bf82f6d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-15T13:58:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação_Caio_Morais_UFPE_biblccs_v4_07.pdf: 2958381 bytes, checksum: 1504e0cbe3d131daab3b28990bf82f6d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-06 / FACEPE / A sobrevivência de pacientes com lesões no sistema nervoso central é geralmente acompanhada de sequelas físicas e mentais, que favorecem a restrição prolongada ao leito, e podem prejudicar a função pulmonar. As técnicas de Breath stacking (BS) e Pressão Expiratória Positiva nas Vias Aéreas (EPAP) têm sido usadas como rotina terapêutica para evitar o surgimento de complicações respiratórias. No entanto, existe uma lacuna na descrição fisiológica dessas técnicas e no efeito sobre a expansão pulmonar (ganho de aeração) em pacientes não cooperativos com restrição prolongada ao leito. Esta dissertação apresenta dois artigos originais. O primeiro foi um estudo fisiológico que objetivou descrever o comportamento da distribuição do fluxo de ar dentro dos pulmões, através da tomografia de impedância elétrica (TIE), durante as técnicas de BS e EPAP em 10 pacientes não cooperativos e em 10 indivíduos saudáveis. Foi observada a transferência do fluxo de ar entre as regiões ventral e dorsal durante as técnicas apenas no grupo de pacientes não cooperativos. Os períodos com a inversão da direção do fluxo aéreo ocorreram na ausência de variações significativas do volume corrente, sugerindo a existência do fenômeno “pendelluft”. O segundo estudo foi um ensaio clínico randomizado do tipo crossover que comparou o efeito agudo do BS e do EPAP na aeração pulmonar regional através da TIE, e a duração do efeito terapêutico de expansão pulmonar. Observou-se que a aeração do pulmão aumentou significativamente em comparação com os valores basais durante a EPAP e BS (ANOVA two-way e teste post hoc de Sidak, p <0,001). No entanto, os efeitos sobre a expansão de pulmão foram mantidos durante um curto período de tempo, 4,6 ± 3,7 minutos e 2,3 ± 2,0 minutos para EPAP e BS, respectivamente. Concluímos que durante as técnicas BS e EPAP houve a presença do fenômeno “pendelluft” no grupo de pacientes não cooperativos. Essas técnicas geraram mudanças significativas nos volumes pulmonares, contudo, não duráveis. A existência de contração abdominal pode ter minimizado o efeito de expansão pulmonar proposto por estas técnicas. / The survival of patients with lesions in the central nervous system is usually accompanied by physical and mental sequelae. These impairments favor the prolonged restriction to the bed, which may contribute with changes in respiratory function. Breath Stacking (BS) and Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure (EPAP) have been used as a prophylaxis routine to prevent respiratory complications. However, there is a gap in the physiological description and in the effect on lung aeration in non-cooperative patients with prolonged bed rest. This master's thesis presents two articles. The first was a physiological study that aimed to describe the physiological behavior of airflow displacement into the lung, using electrical impedance tomography (EIT), during BS and EPAP techniques in 10 non-cooperative patients and in 10 health subjects. It was observed an airflow shift between ventral and dorsal regions during BS and EPAP techniques in the non-cooperative group. The ventilatory tracings showed that all periods with reversing of the airflow direction occurred in the absence of significant variations in VT and flow, suggesting the existence of pendelluft phenomenon. The second study was a randomized crossover study trial that compared the acute effect of BS and EPAP on the regional lung aeration by EIT, measured the duration of the therapeutic effect of lung expansion and evaluated the influence of these techniques on cardiorespiratory system. It was observed that lung aeration increased significantly in comparison with baseline during EPAP and BS (2-way ANOVA and Sidak post hoc, all P < 0.001). However, the effects on lung expansion were kept for a short time, 4.6 ± 3.7 minutes and 2.3 ± 2.0 minutes for EPAP and BS, respectively. There were no clinically significant differences on cardiorespiratory variables. We conclude that there was a presence of the pendelluft phenomenon during BS and EPAP in non-cooperative patients, and these techniques generated a significant change on lung volumes, but not durable. The existence of expiratory muscle contraction may have minimized the effect of lung expansion proposed by these techniques.

La Tomographie par Émission de Positons (TEP) est une méthode d'imagerie médicale nucléaire permettant de mesurer l'activité métabolique d'un organe par la dégradation d'un radio-traceur injecté. Cette méthode d'imagerie peut être utilisée pour l'observation de l'activité métabolique cérébrale à l'aide d'un radio-traceur adéquat, tel que le 18F-Fluorodésoxyglucose. Dans le cadre d'une étude clinique, des patients cérébro-lésés ayant des troubles de la conscience ont eu une chirurgie d'implantation d'électrodes de Stimulation Cérébrale Profonde (SCP). Afin d'effectuer un suivi des patients avant et après la procédure de SCP, et parce qu'elle est compatible avec la présence d'électrode, l'imagerie TEP est utilisée. Nous nous posons la question suivante, comment caractériser les variations entre deux imageries TEP afin de mesurer précisément l'éffet d'un traitement ? Par construction les valeurs obtenues en imagerie TEP dépendent de nombreux facteurs. Si le poids du patient ainsi que la quantité injectée de radio-traceur marqué sont classiquement normalisés en utilisant la méthode des 'Standard Uptake Value' (SUV), la glycémie, entre autre ne l'est pas. Pour cette raison, calculer les variations d'activités entre deux imageries TEP est un problème délicat. Nous proposons une fonction pour calculer les cartes de variation métabolique de deux acquisitions TEP basée sur une approche voxel du ratio des imageries TEP. Nous l'appliquons à l'étude des patients stimulés (SCP) avec troubles de la conscience. Plus spéciffiquement, nous nous intéressons à la comparaison des imageries TEP intra-patient (avant versus après SCP), mais aussi à la comparaison interpatient (patient versus référence). Dans le processus de création des cartes intra-patient, les imageries TEP sont recalées rigidement avec une acquisition pondérée T1 d'Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique (IRM) structurelle. Du fait de déformations majeures liées aux lésions cérébrales, un masque cérébral précis est créé manuellement par un expert clinique. Dans le processus de création des cartes inter-patient, les imageries TEP des patients sont recalées de manière élastique à une imagerie de référence, un atlas (groupe témoin), que nous construisons. Dans ce cas, un masque semi-automatique de l'intérieur de la boîte crânienne est réalisé. Les résultats peuvent être affinés par l'application supplémentaire d'un masque manuel déformé. Un des points clefs de la méthode est de calculer une normalisation spécifique à chaque imagerie, les rendant comparables, afin de calculer une caractérisation quantitative des variations métaboliques cérébrales. Les cartes de variation métabolique cérébrale obtenues sont ensuite comparées aux évaluations et effets cliniques observés afin de juger de leur pertinence. / Positron Emission Tomography is a nuclear medicine imaging method, allowing measure of an organe metabolic activity through degradation of an injected radio-tracer. This methode can be used, with the appropriate radio-tracer, such as 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose, for observation of cerebral metabolic activity. Through a clinical study, brain damaged patients with counciousness disorders had an implantation surgery of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) electrodes. To be able to do the follow up of the patient before and after the DBS procedure, and because it's compatible with electrodes, PET imaging is used. We ask ourself the following question, how to characterize variations between two PET images, to precisely mesure the impact of a treatment ? By construction, PET imaging obtained values depend of numerous factors. If patient weight and injected radio-tracer are classicaly normalized, using the `Standard Uptake Value' (SUV) method, glycemia for exemple is not. For this reason, compute activity variations between two PET images is a delicate problem. We propose a specific function to allow computation of metabolic variation maps for two PET acquisitions, based on a voxel approach of the PET imaging ratio. We apply it to the study of stimulated patients (DBS) with counciousness disorders. More specifically, we are interested in intra-patient PET imaging comparison (before versus after DBS), but also in inter-patient comparison (patient versus reference). During the intra-patient maps creation process, PET patient images are rigidly registered with a T1 weighted structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) acquisition. Due to major deformation caused by cerebral injuries, a precise brain mask is created by a clinical expert. During the inter-patient maps creation process, PET patient imaging are non-rigidly registered to a reference imaging, an Atlas we build. In this case, a semi automatic mask of the inside skull is computed. Results can be further improved by the supplementary application of a deformed manual mask. One of the method key elements, is to estimate a specific normalization for each imaging, making them comparable, in order to calculate quantitative charaterisation of cerebral metabolic variations. Cerebral metabolic variation maps obtained are then compared to observed clinical assesments and effects to judge their relevance.

<p>Uzroci gubitka svesti su različiti i te&scaron;ko ih je diferencirati. Razlikovanja epileptičkih od neepileptičkih gubitaka svesti je od krucijalnog značaja za ispitivanje, lečenja i prognoze ovih poremećaja. Elektroencefalografija (EEG) je standardna, neinvazivna metoda koja se koristi u ispitivanju nakon gubitka svesti. Inicijalni EEG nalaz nakon prvog gubitka svesti može biti normalan, specifičan ili nespecifičan. Procenat patolo&scaron;kog EEG nalaza je veći kod rano urađenog EEG pregleda. Kod dece rani EEG pregled u roku od 48h ne pokazuje statistički značajne abnormalnosti. Spontanim spavanjem ili EEG pregledom nakon deprivacije spavanja se beleži značajno veća prisutnost epileptiformnih promena kod dece starije od 3 godine, čak i kada je prvi EEG u budnom stanju normalan. Kombinacijama pregleda u budnom stanju i spavanju povećava prisutnost patolo&scaron;kih promena u EEG zapisu. Materijal metode: Istraživanje je obuhvatilo 198 dece uzrasta od 3-12 godine života nakon prvog gubitka svesti. Ispitanici su klasifikovani u dve grupe na osnovu otpusne dijagnoze: na grupu dece kod kojih dijagnoza epilepsije nije postavljena i na grupu dece kod kojih je dijagnoza epilepsije potvrđena. Korelirani su nalazi EEG-a u budnom stanju i spavanju (spontanom ili nakon deprivacije spavanja) sa anamnestičkim i kliničkim podacima o gubitku svesti, podacima o dužini trajanja gubitka svesti i vremena oporavka, vremenom kada je urađen prvi EEG u odnosu na gubitak svesti kao i sa podacima o ličnoj i porodičnoj anamnezi, a koji su navedeni u protokolu istraživanja. Ispitanici su potom podeljeni prema uzrastu u pet grupa u intervalima od 2 godine (3-4; 5-6; 7-8; 9-10; 11-12). Rezultati: Nakon prvog gubitka svesti specifičan (epileptiformni) nalaz EEG u budnom stanju imalo je 41,97% ispitanika, a 58,03% je imalo nespecifičan ili uredan EEG nalaz u budnom stanju, dok je specifičan nalaz EEG u spavanju imalo je 73,57% ispitanika, a 26,43% je imalo nespecifičan ili uredan EEG nalaz u spavanju. Ispitanici koji su imali specifičan EEG nalaz u budnom stanju imali su i specifičan nalaz u spavanju, a 45,07%, nakon deprivacije sna. Ispitanici koji su u budnom stanju imali nespecifičan ili uredan EEG nalaz u budnom stanju su u 35,92% nakon deprvacije spavanja imali specifičan EEG nalaz u spavanju, za razliku od 1,41% dece koji su imali specifičan EEG nalaz u spontanom spavanju. Sumarno gledano bolesnici koji su &ldquo;aktivirani&rdquo; odnosno oni kod kojih je deprivacija spavanja uticala na dobijanje specifičnog nalaza (epileptiformnih pormena) u spavanju čine 37.32% od svih ispitanika sa specifičnim (epileptiformnim) promenama u EEG-u u spavanju Zaključak: Kod većine pacijenata nakon prvog gubitka svesti EEG nalaz u budnom stanju je bio nespecifičan ili uredan. Procenat specifičnih EEG nalaza (epileptiformnih promena) se značajno povećao prilikom snimanja EEG u spavanju. Naročito velika korist od deprivacije spavanja kao metode aktivacije potvrđena kod onih pacijenata koji su imali inicijalni EEG u budnom stanju uredan ili nespecifičan. Dobijeni rezultati nesumljivo ukazuju na efikasnost deprivacije spavanja kao provokacione metode i povećanja procenta interiktalnihepileptiformnih EEG promena. Neprovociranih prvi gubitci svesti su se če&scaron;će javljali u grupi dece kod kojih je dijagnoza epilepsije potvrđena, dok su se provocirani gubitci svesti javljali če&scaron;će u grupi dece kod kojih dijagnoza epilepsije nije postavljena. Uzrast dece nije uticao na postavljanje dijagnoze epilepsije kao ni na inicijalne nalaze EEGa u budnom stanju i spavanju ali se registrovalo povećanje specifičnih nalaza (epileptiformnih promena) EEG-a, nakon deprivacije spavanja , sa porastom godina života.</p> / <p>The reasons for the loss of consciousness are various and difficult to be differentiated. It is of utmost importance to differentiate between epileptic and non-epileptic losses of consciousness for the purpose of testing, treating and giving prognosis related to this disorder. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a standard, non-invasive method used in testing after the loss of consciousness. The initial EEG after the first loss of consciousness can be normal, specific and non-specific. The percentage of pathological EEG findings is higher in EEG exams performed at an earlier stage. In children, an early EEG exam within 48 hours does not reveal any statistically relevant abnormalities. Spontaneous sleeping or an EEG examination after sleep deprivation leads to a significantly higher number of epileptiform changes in children above the age of 3, even in cases when the first EEG in the awake state was normal. Combinations of examinations in the awake state and during sleep lead to an increased presence of pathological changes in the EEG recording. Material and methods: The research included 198 children aged 3-12 who have experienced their first loss of consciousness. The subjects were classified into two groups, based on their discharge diagnosis: children who have not been diagnosed with epilepsy and children who have had epilepsy confirmed. A correlation was established between EEG findings in the awake state and sleep (spontaneous or following sleep deprivation) and medical history and clinical data related to the loss of consciousness, the information about the length of the loss of consciousness and recovery time, the time when the first EEG examination was performed in relation to the loss of consciousness, as well as the data from the personal and family history. The subjects were further divided into five groups, depending on their age, with each group covering a 2-year period (3-4; 5-6; 7-8; 9-10; 11-12). Results: Following the first loss of consciousness, specific (epileptiform) EEG findings were noticed in 41.97% subjects, while 58.03% of them had non-specific, i.e. regular findings in the awake state. When it comes to the findings during sleep, 73,57% were specific, while 26,43% were non-specific, i.e. regular. The subjects who had specific EEG findings in the awake state also had specific findings during sleep, while that percentage was 45,07% after sleep deprivation. The subjects who had non-specific, i.e. regular EEG findings in the awake state had specific EEG findings during sleep in 35.92% of the cases following sleep deprivation, while 1.41% of the children had specific EEG findings during spontaneous sleep. In total, the patients who were &ldquo;activated&rdquo;, i.e. those whose sleep deprivation contributed to specific findings (epileptiform changes) during sleep comprise 37.32% of all subjects with specific (epileptiform) changes in the EEG findings during sleep. Conclusion: In most patients suffering from the first loss of consciousness the EEG findings were non-specific, i.e. regular. The percentage of specific EEG findings (epileptiform changes) was significantly increased when the EEG examination was performed during sleep. Sleep deprivation, as an activation method, was particularly useful in patients whose initial EEG findings in the awake state were regular, i.e. non-specific. The results obtained undoubtedly confirm the efficiency of sleep deprivation as a provoking method and the increase of the percentage of interictal epileptiform EEG changes. Unprovoked first losses of consciousness were more common in the group of children who have had the diagnosis of epilepsy confirmed, while provoked losses of consciousness were more common in the group of children who have not been diagnosed with epilepsy. The age of children did not affect the process of establishing a diagnosis of epilepsy, nor did it affect the initial EEG findings in the awake state or during sleep, but it was observed that the number of specific EEG findings (epileptiform changes) following sleep deprivation increased with the increase of the age of the patients.</p>

Coma, estado vegetativo e sedação são desordens da consciência com diferenças clínicas em que ocorrem redução generalizada ou alteração no conteúdo da consciência, somadas a deficiências no despertar. Objetivo: analisar as relações entre as respostas vitais, faciais e de tônus muscular frente ao estímulo música ou mensagem em pacientes em coma, estado vegetativo ou sedado. Método: Ensaio Clínico Controlado Transversal Unicego para o pesquisador. Local da coleta: duas Unidades de Terapia Intensiva e uma Enfermaria de um Hospital Público de Ensino e Pesquisa. Procedimento de coleta de dados: pacientes com Escala Coma de Glasgow entre 3 e 8 ou Escala de Sedação de Ramsay de 5 ou 6 foram alocados aleatoriamente em um dos três grupos (experimental música, experimental mensagem ou controle). Os familiares gravaram uma mensagem de voz e escolheram uma música de acordo com a preferência do paciente. Foram coletados os sinais vitais, eletroneurografia e expressão facial dos pacientes nos períodos basal e durante a intervenção. Duas sessões de intervenção foram realizadas no mesmo dia. Após 30-40 dias da intervenção inicial foi aplicada a Escala de Resultado de Glasgow. Resultados: a maioria dos 76 pacientes em coma, 9 estado vegetativo ou sedados eram do sexo masculino, tinham entre 18 e 36 anos e foram internados por trauma. Encontrou-se alterações estatisticamente significantes nas variáveis temperatura, expressão facial, eletroneurografia e Escala de Resultado de Glasgow nas análises realizadas nesse estudo, além de alterações mais freqüentes na sessão 2, nos pacientes em coma e estado vegetativo, no canal 1 da eletroneurografia (músculo frontal) e no grupo experimental mensagem com valores médios e porcentagem maiores do que no grupo experimental música. Conclusões: Os resultados em relação aos sinais vitais são limitados e inconclusivos, o que dificulta qualquer inferência em relação a sua influência nas respostas dos pacientes com desordens de consciência em relação aos estímulos apresentados. A expressão facial e a eletroneurografia parecem ser variáveis mais confiáveis para avaliação das respostas desses pacientes, no entanto, mais estudos são sugeridos. / Coma, vegetative state and sedation are disorders of consciousness with clinical differences where a generalized reduction or alteration occurs in the consciousness content, coupled with deficiencies in waking. Objective: to analyze the relations between the vital signs, facial expressions and muscular tonus to the music or message stimuli in coma, vegetative state or sedated patients. Method: This study was a single-blinded transversal controlled clinical trial. Data collection: two Intensive Care Units and one ward of a Public Hospital of Education and Research. Procedure: patients with Glasgow Coma Scale between 3 and 8 or Ramsay Sedation Scale of 5 or 6 being randomly placed into one of the three groups (experimental music, experimental message or control). Their relatives recorded a voice message and chose a song according to the patients preference. The vital signs, eletroneurography and facial expressions of the patients were collected both in the baseline and also during the intervention. Two intervention sessions were performed on the same day. The Glasgow Outcome Scale was applied 30-40 days after the initial intervention. Results: the majority of the 76 coma, vegetative state or 11 sedated patients were masculine, between the ages of 18 and 36 and had been interned for trauma. Statistically significant alterations were noted in the variables of temperature, facial expression, eletroneurography and Glasgow Outcome Scale in the analyses performed in this study, in addition to more frequent alterations in session 2, in the coma and vegetative state patients, in channel 1 of the eletroneurography (frontal muscle) and in the message experimental group with mean values and higher percentages than in the music experimental group. Conclusions: The results, in relation to the vital signs, are limited and inconclusive, which complicates any inference regarding their influence on the responses of patients with disorders of consciousness in relation to stimuli. Facial expressions and eletroneurography, seem to be the more reliable variables for evaluation of the responses of these patients; however, additional studies are suggested.

Coma, estado vegetativo e sedação são desordens da consciência com diferenças clínicas em que ocorrem redução generalizada ou alteração no conteúdo da consciência, somadas a deficiências no despertar. Objetivo: analisar as relações entre as respostas vitais, faciais e de tônus muscular frente ao estímulo música ou mensagem em pacientes em coma, estado vegetativo ou sedado. Método: Ensaio Clínico Controlado Transversal Unicego para o pesquisador. Local da coleta: duas Unidades de Terapia Intensiva e uma Enfermaria de um Hospital Público de Ensino e Pesquisa. Procedimento de coleta de dados: pacientes com Escala Coma de Glasgow entre 3 e 8 ou Escala de Sedação de Ramsay de 5 ou 6 foram alocados aleatoriamente em um dos três grupos (experimental música, experimental mensagem ou controle). Os familiares gravaram uma mensagem de voz e escolheram uma música de acordo com a preferência do paciente. Foram coletados os sinais vitais, eletroneurografia e expressão facial dos pacientes nos períodos basal e durante a intervenção. Duas sessões de intervenção foram realizadas no mesmo dia. Após 30-40 dias da intervenção inicial foi aplicada a Escala de Resultado de Glasgow. Resultados: a maioria dos 76 pacientes em coma, 9 estado vegetativo ou sedados eram do sexo masculino, tinham entre 18 e 36 anos e foram internados por trauma. Encontrou-se alterações estatisticamente significantes nas variáveis temperatura, expressão facial, eletroneurografia e Escala de Resultado de Glasgow nas análises realizadas nesse estudo, além de alterações mais freqüentes na sessão 2, nos pacientes em coma e estado vegetativo, no canal 1 da eletroneurografia (músculo frontal) e no grupo experimental mensagem com valores médios e porcentagem maiores do que no grupo experimental música. Conclusões: Os resultados em relação aos sinais vitais são limitados e inconclusivos, o que dificulta qualquer inferência em relação a sua influência nas respostas dos pacientes com desordens de consciência em relação aos estímulos apresentados. A expressão facial e a eletroneurografia parecem ser variáveis mais confiáveis para avaliação das respostas desses pacientes, no entanto, mais estudos são sugeridos. / Coma, vegetative state and sedation are disorders of consciousness with clinical differences where a generalized reduction or alteration occurs in the consciousness content, coupled with deficiencies in waking. Objective: to analyze the relations between the vital signs, facial expressions and muscular tonus to the music or message stimuli in coma, vegetative state or sedated patients. Method: This study was a single-blinded transversal controlled clinical trial. Data collection: two Intensive Care Units and one ward of a Public Hospital of Education and Research. Procedure: patients with Glasgow Coma Scale between 3 and 8 or Ramsay Sedation Scale of 5 or 6 being randomly placed into one of the three groups (experimental music, experimental message or control). Their relatives recorded a voice message and chose a song according to the patients preference. The vital signs, eletroneurography and facial expressions of the patients were collected both in the baseline and also during the intervention. Two intervention sessions were performed on the same day. The Glasgow Outcome Scale was applied 30-40 days after the initial intervention. Results: the majority of the 76 coma, vegetative state or 11 sedated patients were masculine, between the ages of 18 and 36 and had been interned for trauma. Statistically significant alterations were noted in the variables of temperature, facial expression, eletroneurography and Glasgow Outcome Scale in the analyses performed in this study, in addition to more frequent alterations in session 2, in the coma and vegetative state patients, in channel 1 of the eletroneurography (frontal muscle) and in the message experimental group with mean values and higher percentages than in the music experimental group. Conclusions: The results, in relation to the vital signs, are limited and inconclusive, which complicates any inference regarding their influence on the responses of patients with disorders of consciousness in relation to stimuli. Facial expressions and eletroneurography, seem to be the more reliable variables for evaluation of the responses of these patients; however, additional studies are suggested.