Objective To analyze the awakening effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) combined with multi-sensory environmental stimulation in patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS).

Methods Sixty PVS patients were selected as study subjects, and randomly divided into control group (n=30) and observation group (n=30). Three patients in the control group shed 3 cases and eventually included 27 cases, and the observation group shed 2 cases and eventually included 28 cases. Both groups received basic treatment and routine rehabilitation training. The observation group was treated with multi-sensory environmental stimulation combined with taVNS, while the control group received multi-sensory environmental stimulation combined with sham stimulation. Both groups were treated once per day, five times per week, for eight consecutive weeks. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores were compared between the two groups before treatment, after 4, 8 weeks of treatment and during follow-up (12 weeks). The electroencephalogram (EEG) grading was analyzed before and after 8 weeks of treatment. The awakening effect during follow-up was compared between the two groups.

Results After 4, 8 weeks of treatment and during follow-up, the GCS and CRS-R scores of both groups were significantly higher than before treatment, and the observation group had significantly higher scores than the control group (P < 0.05). After 8 weeks of treatment, the EEG grading of both groups was significantly better than before treatment, and the observation group was significantly better than the control group (P < 0.05). During follow-up, the awakening rate in the observation group was 46.43%, which was significantly higher than 29.63% in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion The method of taVNS combined with multi-sensory environmental stimulation has a good awakening effect in PVS patients, and can improve their level of consciousness disorder with high safety.