On the afternoon of October 24, Yangtze Evening News–Ziniu News reported on the kickoff meeting for our institute’s multi-center study on reliability and validity analysis. Below is the coverage of our institute by Jiaohuidian News:

The transition of a patient from a vegetative state to consciousness is a prolonged process, and accurately assessing this trajectory requires precise and reliable diagnostic tools. On October 24, at the launch meeting of the multi-center study on the reliability and validity analysis of the China–Nanjing Coma Recovery Scale (CNCRS), reporters learned that, after more than a year of pilot use, the latest revised version of the scale has demonstrated improvements in both reliability and validity. Notably, revisions such as removing the language subscale and adding subscales for feeding responses and emotional responses have refined the scoring criteria, making them better aligned with clinical practice needs.

“Scales are like measuring tools; they can assess both the severity of a patient’s condition and the extent of their recovery following treatment,” explained Professor Li Jian’an, Honorary Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. For a long time, the clinical scales used in China have been developed by European and American countries, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) from the United Kingdom and the Coma Recovery Scale–Revised (CRS‑R) from the United States. However, clinical practice has revealed that these scales all have aspects that require further refinement and improvement.

According to available information, the Chinese Nanjing Persistent Vegetative State Scale (CNPVSS) is the only domestically developed assessment tool for persistent vegetative states. Originally initiated in 1996 by Nanjing Zijin Hospital, it was designed to reflect China’s specific national context and the clinical realities of patients. On February 25, 2023, at the sixth revision meeting held in Nanjing under the leadership of Nanjing Zijin Hospital, the CNPVSS was updated to its latest version, the China Nanjing Consciousness Recovery Scale (CNCRS). The launch of this multi-center study on reliability and validity analysis aims to lay the groundwork for further research and wider dissemination of a domestically developed scale for assessing disorders of consciousness, through multi-center collection of clinical cases, statistical analysis, and the preparation of scholarly publications, while also refining the scale through clinical application.

Professor Li Jian’an told reporters that the latest revised version of the CNCRS scale has changed both the scale’s name and the names of its subscales, and has modified the assessment methods for certain items. Compared with foreign scales from several decades ago, it has removed the language subscale and added subscales for eating responses and emotional responses. “Take the language subscale as an example: existing international scales all assess whether a person can speak, but the absence of speech does not necessarily indicate a disturbance of consciousness. Patients with central nervous system damage often experience aphasia, and an inability to speak is very common. Therefore, including speech ability as a criterion in earlier scales could lead to assessment errors.” In addition, Professor Li Jian’an noted that emotional expression is another crucial “measure” for evaluating a patient’s recovery of consciousness. “In clinical practice, patients may shed tears when they hear loved ones speaking, and they may display angry expressions when they are upset. Thus, incorporating emotional expression into the scale is also meaningful.”

“Following the revision, clinical trials were first launched at our hospital and at hospitals within the consortium. Over the past year and more, we have evaluated over 2,000 patients, and compared with the previous version, the newly revised scale demonstrates significantly improved reliability and validity,” noted Gao Zhiqiang, Executive Vice President of Nanjing Zijin Hospital. He added that the adoption of the new scale has provided clinicians with a more precise and scientifically sound diagnostic tool, thereby greatly advancing clinical practice.

As temperatures drop, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases enter their peak season. Dean Gao Zhiqiang cautions that not only middle-aged and older adults, but also younger people should take precautions to prevent conditions such as cerebral hemorrhage. In fact, because the organs of young individuals are in a period of vigorous activity, they tend to exhibit more pronounced symptoms when illness strikes, making them more susceptible to serious clinical complications.

“In particular, some young people fail to monitor their blood pressure, don’t measure it regularly, and skip medication, allowing their hypertension to persist. Coupled with risk factors such as staying up late, smoking, and drinking alcohol, this greatly increases the likelihood of a cerebral hemorrhage. If they also have an arteriovenous malformation, the risk of rupture is even higher; once an AVM ruptures, the outcome is often fatal or leaves the patient with severe disability.” Therefore, in the view of President Gao Zhiqiang, maintaining healthy daily habits is crucial. “We encourage establishing a regular circadian rhythm—going to bed early and rising early—avoiding diets high in oil and salt, engaging in regular physical exercise, and undergoing routine health check-ups, all of which can help reduce the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.”

Yangtze Evening News – Ziniu News Reporter Lü Yanlin (Original article link: https://wap.yzwb.net/wap/news/4099201.html?timestamp=1729816167623)