On emerging from coma, head-injured patients experience what is
called post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). It represents a stage of
recovery during which one's orientation and memory for ongoing
events remains poor. Knowing whether a patient is experiencing
PTA is important for 4 reasons:
(1) PATIENT CARE - the behaviours associated with PTA
include agitation, irritability and restlessness, therefore measuring
PTA monitors the patient's mental state during this acute recovery
stage.
(2) REHABILITATION - as new learning ability is impaired
during PTA, conventional forms of therapy which require the patient
to retain information over time are not viable.
(3) NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING - the neuropsychological
testing of patients in PTA will have little validity.
(4) INDEX OF SEVERITY - the duration of PTA is used as
an index of severity for prognosis, medico-legal and scientific
purposes.
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