Nicht traumatische Bewusstseinsstörung in der Notaufnahme – Vorgehen aus neurologischer Sicht

Patients with the leading symptom of impaired consciousness, which are not due to severe traumatic brain injury or cardiac arrest, represent an interdisciplinary differential diagnostic challenge. The high vulnerability of the brain to very different damage mechanisms requires time-critical diagnostics. The motto “time is brain” applies to both neurological and internal causes of impaired consciousness. The functional prognosis of patients depends, among other things, on an adequate diagnosis of syndromes and a rapid and pragmatic treatment concept. This article provides an overview of the clinically relevant differential diagnoses of disorders of consciousness.