Coma: symptoms, causes, treatment, treatment, etc. & bull; hello healthy

Comma definition

Coma is a term that describes the unconscious condition of a patient so that he cannot give any reaction to the surrounding environment.

Apart from being unconscious, a person who is in a coma has almost no brain activity whatsoever. This means that patients who are in a coma are also unable to respond to sound, touch, and pain.

Patients in a coma will regain consciousness over time. Even so, each patient takes a different amount of time to finally have self-awareness.

Some may take weeks, but some have been in this condition for years. Quickly or not the patient regains consciousness depends on the area of ​​the brain that has been damaged and how much area of ​​the brain is still functioning.

Coma can be caused by many things, from drug abuse, metabolic problems, disorders of the central nervous system, stroke, hernia, hypoxia, hypothermia, or trauma that causes trauma.

Of course, coma is an emergency, so this condition must be treated immediately to save the patient's life and brain function.

However, coma can also occur accidentally using chemical drugs for medical purposes. For example, to save the patient from feeling pain during the recovery process of a certain condition.

How common is this condition?

Anyone can experience this condition, from toddlers to the elderly. Therefore, try to be sensitive to the various things that happen to your body to avoid this one condition.

If you feel there is something wrong with your body, don't hesitate to check with your doctor.

Signs & symptoms of coma

To determine whether the closest person is in a coma, try to see if there are any symptoms or signs of a coma that appear, such as:

• Closed eyes.
• The pupil of the eye cannot respond to light.
• There is no movement in the legs.
• There is no response to pain.
• Irregular breathing.

Not all of the symptoms of coma are possible. If you know someone closest to you has any of these symptoms, it's better to immediately check with the nearest doctor or hospital for immediate treatment.

Cause of coma

Comas can be caused by many things, including:

1. Brain injury

Injury to the brain can interfere with its normal function. This condition can occur due to vehicle accidents or acts of violence directed at the head. In fact, your brain could be injured if you hit or hit something hard enough.

There are several characteristics of brain injury, one of which is loss of self-awareness, amnesia, or nervous disorders such as muscle weakness and vision problems.

Symptoms of this condition vary, some are mild, moderate, and severe. Usually, this depends on the damage to the brain. At a more severe level, brain injury can cause the patient to fall into a coma and die.

2. Stroke

Stroke is divided into two types, namely obstruction stroke and bleeding stroke. Blockage stroke, also known as ischemic stroke, is a type of stroke that occurs due to a blockage in a blood vessel in the brain.

Meanwhile, a bleeding stroke or hemorrhagic stroke is a stroke due to bleeding in the brain. Both can cause obstruction or reduced blood flow to the brain.

At a severe level, both types of stroke can cause the patient to go into a coma for a while because the brain doesn't receive enough blood so it can't receive enough oxygen and the nutrients it needs.

3. Brain tumor

Tumors can actually appear anywhere. However, if the tumor is present in the brain, especially if it is large, it can cause various problems. Starting from memory problems, balance disorders, bleeding in the brain, loss of bodily functions, to coma.

4. Diabetes

One of the complications that may occur due to diabetes is coma. This condition includes those that can endanger life, especially when coma usually occurs due to blood sugar levels that are too high or too low.

When experiencing this condition, you are unconscious and unable to respond to the environment around you. If this condition is not treated immediately, it can be fatal to your health.

5. Infection of the brain

Brain infections such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain) can cause swelling in an area of ​​the brain, spinal cord, or the tissue that surrounds the brain.

Infection that is already classified as severe has the potential to cause damage to the brain or coma.

6. Seizures

Seizures are electrical disturbances that are not controlled and occur suddenly in the brain. This condition can cause changes in attitude, movement, feelings to self-awareness. Therefore, you may be in a coma after a seizure.

7. Lack of oxygen

Have you ever witnessed a person who had just been rescued after drowning in the sea and was unconscious? In this condition, the person is in a coma due to lack of oxygen to the brain.

It can also happen to people who have recently had a heart attack.

8. Poisoning

Frequent exposure to toxic substances such as carbon monoxide can cause brain damage and coma. This means that the more often you are exposed to these substances, the higher the risk of developing this condition.

9. Taking drugs and drinking alcohol to excess

Doing everything excessively is not good. This also applies to the habit of consuming alcohol or drugs.

Even though the drug is a drug prescribed by a doctor, you shouldn't take it continuously or excessively, for one thing because it can trigger you to go into a coma.

Risk factors for coma

Apart from the cause, there are other conditions that can increase your risk of developing this condition. Among them:

• Serious illness.
• Diabetes.
• Heart disease.
• Liver or kidney problems.
• Tendency of the body to form blood clots.
• Exposure to toxic substances, such as carbon dioxide.
• Cancer.
• Undergo chemotherapy.

Meanwhile, risk factors that can increase your potential for brain injury, one of the main causes of coma, are:

• Travel using a vehicle at high speed.
• Lack of sleep.
• I've had brain injuries before.

Diagnosis for comatose patients

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

If someone closest to you is in a coma, it is likely that the doctor will need a lot of information about the patient to help determine the appropriate treatment.

You may have to prepare whatever information your doctor will need. Therefore, prepare a variety of possible questions from the doctor that you may have to answer.

Usually, the doctor will ask questions about the patient's condition before experiencing a coma, as follows:

• Symptoms that appear before entering a coma, such as vomiting or headaches.
• Detailed information regarding the patient's level of consciousness before coma, whether slowly decreasing or losing consciousness suddenly.
• The patient's medical history, including various illnesses, such as stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIA).
• Changes recently occurred in the attitude or health condition of the patient.
• Medicines used by patients, ranging from those prescribed by doctors and those purchased by themselves at pharmacies.

After that, the new doctor will perform several tests to make a thorough diagnosis of the patient's health condition. These tests include:

1. Physical test

In practice, physical tests are usually carried out by:

• Examine the patient's body movements and reflexes, response to pain, and pupil size.
• Examine the patient's breathing pattern to help diagnose the cause of the coma.
• Examine the patient's skin for signs or symptoms such as bruising due to trauma.
• Talking out loud or applying pressure to the sides of the bed to confirm reactions such as sounds or eye movements.
• Ensure eye movements to determine the cause of this condition and the location of the brain damaged.
• Put cold or hot fluids into the ear canal to see if the patient's eyes are reacting.

2. Laboratory tests

In this one test, the doctor will usually ask your permission to take a blood sample from the patient to check several things, such as:

• Blood count.
• The function of glucose, thyroid, kidneys and liver in the patient's body.
• Signs or symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Overdose due to excessive use of drugs or alcohol.

3. Brain scan

Usually, to determine the location of damage to the brain, doctors will perform tests that involve taking pictures of the brain in a way scanning . Some of the tests that can be done include:

a. CT Scan

This imaging test is performed with the help of various X-rays to produce clear and detailed images of the inside of the patient's brain.

CT scans are able to show bleeding in the brain, tumors, strokes, and various other conditions. Usually, this test can help pinpoint the cause of the coma.

b. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Not much different from a CT scan, MRI also functions to see more clearly the inside of the patient's brain using radio waves and magnets. MRI can show clearer images from inside the brain.

MRI can detect damage to brain tissue due to ischemic stroke, bleeding in the brain, and various other brain health problems. However, MRI is most effective for studying brainstem structures and other deeper brain structures.

c. Electroencephalography (EEG)

In practice, EGG is used by attaching small electrodes to the scalp. This tool will then measure the electrical activity that occurs in the brain.

The doctor will send a low level of electric current through the electrodes to record the electrical impulses in the brain. By performing this test, the doctor can determine whether a seizure is the cause of the patient's coma.

Treatment for comatose patients

The initial treatment that doctors will do to treat this condition is to overcome the cause and prevent further damage to the brain.

Usually, patients who are in a coma will be treated intensively at intensive care unit (ICU). If the patient has difficulty breathing, he will be fitted with a medical device in the form of a respirator, while the cause will be treated as soon as possible.

In certain conditions, the patient may have to undergo surgery, such as an injury to the head. This aims to stop bleeding or reduce swelling in the brain.

As long as the doctor and medical team resolve the cause of the coma, the patient's blood circulation and the patient's breathing must always be closely monitored. In fact, other patient needs such as intravenous fluids and blood must always be available.

After passing the critical period and the patient's condition begins to stabilize, the treatment that will be carried out is to maintain the patient's physical condition to remain stable and healthy, and to avoid various complications.

For example, by providing the nutrition the body needs, preventing infection, and moving the patient's body regularly to avoid ulcer debitus or bedsores .

However, there are also comatose patients who continue to move their bodies out of control. Of course, medical professionals must pay attention to their condition in order to prevent patients from injuring themselves without realizing it.

Treatment for comatose patients

According to an article published on website According to John Hopkins All Children's Hospital, comatose patients require intensive hospital care. Therefore, intensive care unit (ICU) is the right place for these patients.

The reason is, in the ICU, patients will get extra care and attention from doctors and other professional medical teams. These medical experts will always ensure that patients get everything they need, such as fluids and nutrition.

Medical experts will also prescribe medicines that comatose patients must take to keep their bodies healthy.

Since the comatose patient is unconscious, the drugs are given through a tube that is inserted through a vein. The goal is that the drugs, fluids, and nutrients provided can enter directly into the stomach.

Not to forget, some comatose patients may have difficulty breathing, so they need the help of medical devices such as a ventilator, a machine that pumps air into the lungs through a tube placed in the windpipe.

If someone closest to you has this condition, it will certainly feel heavy. There may be times when you feel unable to witness firsthand the condition of a patient who is in a coma.

However, believe that your presence means a lot to the healing process. Take time to visit him in the hospital and read books, talk, or play music to the patient.

The reason is, the patient may listen to what you say, listen to, or read out even though they cannot respond directly. This, although not medically proven, may help the recovery process.

Complications from coma

Coma is indeed an emergency and can be life threatening. However, there is still a chance of recovery from this condition. In fact, not a few patients who managed to recover and wake up from "long sleep".

However, you also need to know and understand that there are many comatose patients who remain in the same condition for quite a long time. In fact, some of them eventually died after prolonged comas.

Not only that, some of the patients who managed to come to their senses from coma eventually experienced disabilities. Various complications from this condition can also form when the patient is in a coma.

These include urinary tract infections, blood clots in the legs, and various other health problems.

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