Restoration of Consciousness: Experience, Evidence, and Perspectives
On October 9, within the framework of the International Almaty Neurosurgical Congress, a pre-congress symposium titled “Restoration of Consciousness: Experience, Evidence, and Perspectives” was held. The event was dedicated to current interdisciplinary issues in neurosurgery, neurology, resuscitation medicine, and neurorehabilitation. The scientific organizers of the symposium were the Department of Neurosurgery of Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (KazNMU) with the support of the Department of Nervous Diseases, the Kazakh Association of Neurosurgeons, and the Almaty Society of Neurosurgeons.
Experts gathered at the symposium to discuss the latest research findings, clinical cases, and scientific approaches to the study and restoration of consciousness in critically ill patients.
Modern medicine and neuroscience are on the threshold of revolutionary discoveries. The symposium brought together leading specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, anesthesiology, resuscitation, and rehabilitation medicine to discuss key issues, such as:
• What are the limits and possibilities of restoring consciousness in coma, vegetative states, and minimally conscious states?
• Which technologies and methods (neurostimulation, functional MRI, artificial intelligence) can provide objective evidence of the return of cognitive activity?
• How should the phenomena of consciousness be interpreted from the standpoint of modern science and ethics?
• What can patients who have experienced altered or lost states of consciousness tell us?
The event became an important platform for exchanging knowledge about the mechanisms, clinical approaches, and ethical aspects of restoring consciousness in patients with coma and vegetative states of various origins.
The symposium was opened by Dr. Yermek Kautayevich Dyussembekov, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Asfendiyarov KazNMU, Head of the Neurosurgical Center of City Clinical Hospital No. 7, Chief Neurosurgeon of the Almaty Public Health Department, Doctor of Medical Sciences, who emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in studying consciousness.
Among the speakers were internationally recognized experts:
– Dr. Ahmed Abdelalim, Vice President of MENASO, Editor-in-Chief of EJNPN, Professor of Neurology at Cairo University (Egypt);
– Dr. Saule Tleubergenovna Turuspekova, Head of the Department of Nervous Diseases at Asfendiyarov KazNMU, Main Neurologist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
– Prof. Vladimir Ilyich Cherniy, Anesthesiologist-Resuscitator, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.
They presented the latest data obtained through clinical research and laboratory observations. Special attention was paid to successful cases of consciousness recovery, including those involving non-invasive brain stimulation, complex rehabilitation, and personalized therapeutic protocols.
The symposium attracted significant interest among the audience, which included neurosurgeons, neurologists, resuscitation specialists, rehabilitation physicians, occupational therapists, and aphasiologists. Active participants in the discussion included Prof. T.N. Khaibullin (Semey Medical University), Prof. M.Zh. Myrzabayev, Assistant K.A. Nikatov (Department of Neurosurgery, Asfendiyarov KazNMU), Prof. E.S. Nurguzhaev (Department of Nervous Diseases, Asfendiyarov KazNMU), E.B. Espenbetov, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care (Clinical Hospital No. 7, Almaty), and Zh. Sh. Dauletbekov, Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care (Clinical Hospital No. 4, Almaty).
The outcome of the symposium was the formation of an international expert initiative to develop unified clinical guidelines for the management of patients with disorders of consciousness and the launch of joint research projects, culminating in the adoption of a resolution.
The pre-congress symposium within the framework of the International Almaty Neurosurgical Congress was held with the informational support of Acino part of Arcera and Merz.
