Adaptation of the Italian Version of the Mealtime Assessment Scale in Pediatric Population (MAS-p).

Unlike what is observed in the adult population, in paediatric rehabilitation, no reliable and validated observational tools are available in the Italian language to evaluate subjects considered to be at risk for swallowing disorders, regardless of the pathology. The aim of this study was to adapt the Mealtime Assessment Scale (MAS) to a paediatric population. Additionally, internal consistency, intra-rater and inter-rater agreement, concurrent validity and discriminative ability were investigated to assess validity and reliability of the scale.

Score on Coma Recovery Scale-Revised at admission predicts outcome at discharge in intensive rehabilitation after severe brain injury.

Objective: To assess the prognostic utility of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) in rehabilitation of patients surviving from severe brain injury.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, all patients consecutively admitted to an Italian Intensive Rehabilitation Unit, with a diagnosis of unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) or minimally conscious state (MCS) due to acquired brain injury, underwent clinical evaluations using the Italian version of the CRS-R. At discharge, patients transitioning from UWS to MCS or emergence from MCS (E-MCS) and from MCS to E-MCS were classified as improved responsiveness (IR).

Improvement on the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised During the First Four Weeks of Hospital Stay Predicts Outcome at Discharge in Intensive Rehabilitation After Severe Brain Injury.

Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic utility of serial assessment on the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) during the first 4 weeks of intensive rehabilitation in patients surviving a severe brain injury.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: An intensive rehabilitation unit.