FAQ - Coma
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What's the difference between being in a coma and being "knocked out" or unconscious?


Just wondering how it is determined someone is in a coma instead of just being knocked out.
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Those in a coma demonstrate no voluntary movement and do not respond to stimuli of any kind.  (+ info)

What treatment did they give to people in a coma in the 1800s?


I know that today a person in a coma is fed through a special tube that is usually put into the upper chest. This 'food' is basically a 'well balanced' intravenous solution. And they also have a catheter fitted to collect urine etc.

But what did they do in the 1800s?

I am writing a novel based in the 1800s and I can't seem to find an answer to this one. Thanks in advance!
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Basically at that time patients in coma for any reason, if it persisted for any length of time, just died.  (+ info)

What are the chances of someone dying in a coma?


I have a friend in a coma right now and I miss him terribly. He also has lung cancer? Please help.
I didn't mean to put a question mark at the end of the "He has lung cancer" sentence.
I didn't mean to put a question mark at the end of the "He has lung cancer" sentence.
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There isn't an exact science to coma patients and the recovery. Just pray for the best.  (+ info)

What is the chance of a person in a coma after serious car crash to recover?


I know someone who was in a car crash and is in a coma for over a week, the brain stem and frontal lobes are damaged. The intracranial pressure is not going down still and no responses to any stimuli.
What are chances of survival or normal life?
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that is only something God knows.It seems not good
However we all know alot of people that have recovered.Dont give up hope.I pray for them  (+ info)

What would happen to a pregnant woman in a coma?


Would the baby die? Would it keep growing? Say the woman is perfectly healthy and due in a couple of weeks but randomly gets knocked on the head and put in a coma for a few months. If the baby was still alive would they have to do a C-section while the mum is still unconscious?
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Very Interesting :] ***** 5 Stars

The Baby Can Survive They Just Have To Give The Mother A Tube Because The Mother Is Still Breathing x :]
Hope I Helped.  (+ info)

What effects does a coma have on your internal organs?


A friend of mine has been in a coma due to a brain aneurysm rupturing for a month now. The Dr's found that her colon is deteriorating. Is this normal or is something else going on?
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something else...  (+ info)

What machines and drugs do the doctors use for a coma patient?


Like since the person in coma can't eat or drink. What do you the doctors do? And does the person go to the bathroom, through a tube that goes into a container hooked up to the bed?

I want to also know how they monitor the person's brain and other things that will help the doctor in seeing if the person will get better or become a vegetable or brain dead.
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It all depends on why and how long they have been in a coma. Sometimes doctor's put people under medical induced coma which is more controlled. The patient uses the bathroom through a tube and is fed using supplements given through an Iv (Intra Venous) a needle in their arm giving them medicine through their blood. To monitor their brain they use EKG's, which monitors brain waves  (+ info)

What are the chances of coming out of a diabetic coma?


My grandma is in a coma right now and from what I am told from my mum, its because she has really bad diabetes and that her body aches.
My grandma is about 85 years old.
she has been in it for about 1 day now
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Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

If she is in a medically induced coma, that is a good thing. If she is in a coma that came about because of a hypoglycemic attack, then maybe things are not looking good, but you never know with medical science these days ... they're doing things differently all the time.

Everybody, no matter their age, has a different way of handling coma. Some people get through the worst things imaginable, while others don't survive a bump on the head. No-one can foretell how strong your grandmother is, only time will.  (+ info)

What does a homeostatic imbalance have to do with a person being in a coma?


What does a homeostatic imbalance have to do with a person being in a coma? And what roles do the negative and positive feedback systems have on a person in a coma?
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Much disease results from disturbance of homeostasis, a condition known as homeostatic imbalance. As it ages, every organism will lose efficiency in its control systems. The inefficiencies gradually result in an unstable internal environment that increases the risk for illness. In addition, homeostatic imbalance is also responsible for the physical changes associated with aging. Even more serious than illness and other characteristics of aging, is coma or death. Heart failure has been seen where nominal negative feedback mechanisms become overwhelmed, and destructive positive feedback mechanisms then take over.

Negative feedback mechanisms reduce or suppress the original stimulus, given the effector’s output. Most homeostatic control mechanisms require a negative feedback loop to keep conditions from exceeding tolerable limits. The purpose is to prevent sudden severe changes within a complex organism. There are hundreds of negative feedback mechanisms in the human body. Among the most important regulatory functions are: thermoregulation, osmoregulation, and glucoregulation. The kidneys contribute to homeostasis in four important ways: regulation of blood water levels, reabsorption of substances into the blood, maintenance of salt and ion levels in the blood, and excretion of urea and other wastes.

A negative feedback mechanism example is the typical home heating system. Its thermostat houses a thermometer, the receptor that senses when the temperature is too low. The control center, also housed in the thermostat, senses and responds to the thermometer when the temperature drops below a specified set point. Below that target level, the thermostat sends a message to the effector, the furnace. The furnace then produces heat, which warms the house. Once the thermostat senses a target level of heat has been reached, it will signal the furnace to turn off, thus maintaining a comfortable temperature - not too hot nor cold.

Positive feedback mechanisms are designed to accelerate or enhance the output created by a stimulus that has already been activated. Unlike negative feedback mechanisms that initiate to maintain or regulate physiological functions within a set and narrow range, the positive feedback mechanisms are designed to push levels out of normal ranges. To achieve this purpose, a series of events initiate a cascading process that builds to increase the effect of the stimulus. This process can be beneficial but is rarely used by the body due to risks of the acceleration becoming uncontrollable.

One bodily positive feedback example event is blood platelet accumulation which in turn causes blood clotting in response to a break or tear in the lining of blood vessels. Another example is the release of oxytocin to intensify the contractions that take place during childbirth.

Positive feedback can also be harmful. An example being when you have a fever it causes a positive feedback within homeostasis that pushes the temperature continually higher. Body temperature can reach extremes of 113 degrees, at which cellular proteins stop working and the metabolism stop, ultimately resulting in death.  (+ info)

How long does it take for a person to wake up from Coma?


My friend's father-in-law has been in coma for the past 6 months or so. It is causing their whole family a lot of distress and sorrow. Anybody know how long does it take for a person to wake up from coma? What is the longest duration that anyone has been known to be in coma?

Are there any alternative therapies like acupuncture or holistic healing that can be used to wake a person up from Coma?

Thanks for all answers in advance!
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Only time can tell to be honest.

Here is the record for the longest time in coma, from Guinness World Records

Longest coma Elaine Esposito (USA) never regained consciousness after undergoing an appendectomy on August 6, 1941, at age six. She died on November 25, 1978, at the age of 43 years 357 days. She had been in a coma for 37 years 111 days.  (+ info)

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