Prognosis

Non-traumatic

Patients are more likely to die or remain in a persistent vegetative state if any of the following are present ^b

• GCS motor score = 1 at day 3 
• absent pupillary response at day 3 
• burst activity or flat EEG after one week 
• no cerebral response to somatosensory evoked potentials after one week   

Why?

Poor motor response, no pupil reaction and abnormal EEG and evoked potential predict a bad outcome

Patient	Prognostic Factor	Outcome	CER	OR (95% CI)	NNF+ (95% CI)
non-traumatic coma b	GCS motor response=1 on day 3 independent	death or vegetative state	67%	1.76 (1.50 to 2.06)	2 (2 to 3)
	absent pupillary reactions to light on day 3  independent			1.64 (1.42 to 1.89)	3 (1 to 2)
	burst-suppression or isoelectric EEG during first week  independent			2.74 (2.31 to 3.25)	2 (1 to 2)
	somatosensory evoked potential: bilateral absence of N2O (earliest cortical response after median nerve stimulation) during first week   independent			1.78 (1.63 to 1.93)	2 (2 to 3)