Sometimes people are put into a
According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the most common uses of drug-induced comas involve the presence of serious brain injuries, but other causes include drug overdoses and strokes. Such incidents can often cause a person's brain to swell, which can be extremely dangerous to the organ itself.
Studies show a very high overall mortality, ranging between 76% and 89%. 5, 6, 7 Of the surviving patients, only very few recover to a good outcome. The majority of the survivors do so with permanent disorders of consciousness or severe disabilities (see Table 1).
Doctors may induce comas in people with traumatic brain injury, repetitive or long lasting seizures, stroke, or drug overdose. The length of time a person is in a coma and recovery time afterward varies. A medically induced coma may continue for 24–48 hours at a time until swelling or seizures subside.
Coma is not a permanent state, and comatose patients who do not die begin to awaken within several weeks, regardless of the severity of the underlying brain injury [1]. Some patients may open their eyes and demonstrate limited movement without ever regaining consciousness or attaining higher mental functioning.
A natural coma is due to brain injury, stroke, or seizures, whereas doctors induce an artificial coma to prevent brain damage. The time taken for a patient to recover from a natural coma is days to decades, whereas an artificial coma is induced for shorter periods.
They cannot speak and their eyes are closed. They look as if they are asleep. However, the brain of a coma patient may continue to work. It might “hear” the sounds in the environment, like the footsteps of someone approaching or the voice of a person speaking.
A drug-induced coma, better known as sedation in the medical field, is commonly used in medical, surgical and neurological intensive care units.
Stage 1: Unresponsiveness:
Patients in the unresponsive stage rarely respond in the same way throughout time. Those who are entirely unresponsive are said to be in a coma. Patients in the unresponsive period may respond reflexively or make confusing gestures.
Severe brain injury is usually defined as being a condition where the patient has been in an unconscious state for 6 hours or more, or a post-traumatic amnesia of 24 hours or more. These patients are likely to be hospitalised and receive rehabilitation once the acute phase has passed.
Prognosis (outlook for recovery)
Comas can last from days to weeks while some severe cases have lasted several years. Recovery depends, to a considerable extent, on the original cause of the coma and on the severity of any brain damage.
A coma can last from a few days to a few weeks. The outcome will depend on the cause and any brain damage that has occurred.
Some patients need to be sedated for hours, days or even weeks. If they are doing well - waking up, are strong enough, and breathing by themselves - then the breathing tube can usually be taken out. Everyone is different so please ask the ICU nurse or doctor how long your loved one is likely to be sedated for.
Over time, the person may start to gradually regain consciousness and become more aware. Some people will wake up after a few weeks, while others may go into a vegetative or minimally conscious state.
There is no rule about how long a person can stay on life support. People getting life support may continue to use it until they either recover or their condition worsens. In some cases, it's possible to recover after days or weeks of life support, and the person can stop the treatments.
For surgery, patients need to be in an induced coma with anesthesia. The deep coma may impair their ability to breath adequately, necessitating the use of temporary mechanical ventilation for the duration of surgery. This is one way to use mechanical ventilation and this use is not necessary for life support.
Can Your Loved One Hear You? During a coma, the individual is unconscious, meaning they are unable to respond to any sounds. However, the brain may still be able to pick up on sounds from loved ones. In fact, some studies suggest talking and touching a loved one while they are in a coma may help them recover.
Providers might give breathing assistance, medicines through a vein and other supportive care. Treatment depends on the cause of the coma. A procedure or medicines to relieve pressure on the brain due to brain swelling might be needed. Emergency responders might give glucose or antibiotics through a vein in the arm.
The risks of medically induced coma, in part, stem from complications such as pneumonia that can arise because of the patient's immobility, Mayberg said. It's also difficult to tell the severity of a patient's brain damage because traditional neurological tests don't work when a patient is in a coma.
It is likely that such repeated GHB-induced comas coincide with temporary low supply of oxygen to the brain (cerebral hypoxia) and may result in (irreversible) neurotoxicity. The disruption of the oxygen supply (hypoxia) may lead to cognitive impairment, including memory disorders (Caine & Watson, 2000).
IV sedation works quickly, with most people falling asleep in roughly 15 to 30 minutes after it's been administered. Once the IV sedation is removed, you will begin to wake up in about 20 minutes and be fully recovered from all sedative effects within six hours.
Overall, mortality rates in patients admitted to adult ICUs average 10% to 29%, depending on age, comorbidities, and illness severity.
Nursing and other medical staff usually talk to sedated people and tell them what is happening as they may be able to hear even if they can't respond. Some people had only vague memories whilst under sedation. They'd heard voices but couldn't remember the conversations or the people involved.
In most cases, a delayed awakening from anesthesia can be attributed to the residual action of one or more anesthetic agents and adjuvants used in the peri-operative period. The list of potentially implicated drugs includes benzodiazepines (BDZs), propofol, opioids, NMBAs, and adjuvants.