Coma - Consciousness, Causes Of Coma, Outcome, Glasgow Coma Scale, The Ethical Dilemma Presented By Persistent Coma
spectrum stimuli deep response
Coma, from the Greek word koma, meaning deep sleep, is a state of extreme unresponsiveness in which an individual exhibits no voluntary movement or behavior. In a deep coma, stimuli, even painful stimuli, are unable to effect any response. Normal reflexes may be lost.
Coma lies on a spectrum with other alterations in consciousness. The level of consciousness which you, the reader, are currently enjoying is at one end of the spectrum, while complete brain death is at the other end of the spectrum. In between are such states as obtundation, drowsiness, and stupor, which all allow the individual to respond to stimuli, though such response may be brief and require a stimulus of greater than normal intensity.
Additional Topics
In order to understand the loss of function suffered by a comatose individual, consider the important characteristics of the conscious state. Consciousness is defined by two fundamental elements: awareness and arousal. Awareness allows us to receive and process information communicated by the five senses and thereby relate to ourselves and the rest of the world. Awareness has psychological and phy…
Coma is the result of something which interferes with the functioning of the cerebral cortex and/or the functioning of the structures which make up the RAS. The number of conditions which could result in coma is mind-boggling. A good way of categorizing these conditions is to consider the anatomic and the metabolic causes of coma. Anatomic causes of coma are those conditions which disrupt the norm…
It is extremely important for a physician to quickly determine the cause of a coma, so that potentially reversible conditions are treated immediately. For example, an infection may be treated with antibiotics, a brain tumor may be removed, brain swelling from an injury can be reduced with certain medications. Furthermore, various metabolic disorders can be addressed by supplying the individual wit…
The Glasgow Coma Scale, a system of examining a comatose patient, can be helpful for evaluating the depth of the coma, tracking the patient's progress, and possibly predicting ultimate outcome of the coma. The Glasgow Coma Scale assigns a different number of points for exam results in three different categories: opening the eyes, verbal response (using words or voice to respond), and motor …
When a patient has not suffered brain death (the complete absence of any electrical activity within the brain) but has been in a deep coma for some time, a change in condition may occur. This condition is called a persistent vegetative state. The patient may open his or her eyes and move his or her limbs in a primitive fashion, demonstrating some degree of arousal. However, the patient lacks any e…
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