Deep unconsciousness in which all reflexes are absent.
Causes: reaction to drugs or alcohol, stroke, epileptic seizure, skull injury, diabetes, uraemia. Inhalant: Eucalyptus oil.
Foot rub. Capsicum ointment or stimulating lotion.
Rub into gums: Dilute spirits of Camphor or brandy.
Supportive. Patient is usually cold. Induce warmth, but not by placing hot water bottle near the skin.
A state of unconsciousness and unresponsiveness to external stimuli (for example, pinching) or internal stimuli (such as a full bladder). Coma results from disturbance or damage to areas of the involved in conscious activity or maintenance of consciousness – in particular, parts of the cerebrum, upper parts of the brainstem, and central regions of the brain, especially the limbic system. There are varying depths of coma. Even people in deep comas may show some automatic responses, such as breathing unaided and blinking. If the lower brainstem is damaged, vital functions are impaired, and artificial ventilation and maintenance of the circulation are required. With medical care, a person may be kept alive for many years in a deep coma (persistent vegetative state) provided the brainstem is still functioning. Complete irreversible loss of brainstem function leads to brain death.
The state of complete loss of consciousness
A state of profound unconsciousness in which the patient cannot be roused and re?ex movements are absent. Signs include long, deep, sighing respirations, a rapid, weak pulse, and low blood pressure. Usually the result of a STROKE, coma may also be due to high fever, DIABETES MELLITUS, glomerulonephritis (see KIDNEYS, DISEASES OF), alcohol, EPILEPSY, cerebral TUMOUR, MENINGITIS, injury to the head, overdose of INSULIN, CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) poisoning, or poisoning from OPIUM and other NARCOTICS. Though usually of relatively short duration (and terminating in death, unless yielding to treatment) it may occasionally last for months or even years. (See UNCONSCIOUSNESS; GLASGOW COMA SCALE.)
n. 1. a state of unrousable unconsciousness. See also Glasgow Coma Scale. 2. (in optics) an *aberration, inherent in certain optical designs or due to imperfection in the lens or cornea, that results in off-axis point sources (e.g. stars) appearing to have a tail, like the coma of a comet. —comatic adj.
A method developed by two doctors in Glasgow that is used to assess the depth of COMA or unconsciousness suffered by an individual. The scale is split into three groups – eye opening, motor response, and verbal response – with the level of activity within each group given a score. A person’s total score is the sum of the numbers scored in each group, and this provides a reasonably objective assessment of the patient’s coma state – particularly useful when monitoring people who have suffered a head injury. (See also PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE (PVS).)... glasgow coma scale
a life-threatening condition due to severe *hypothyroidism, which is often precipitated by an acute event, such as surgery, prolonged exposure to cold, infection, trauma, other severe illness, or sedative drugs. It manifests as hypothermia, slowing of the heart rate with a reduction in blood pressure and sometimes heart failure, pleural and peritoneal effusions, urinary retention, and a gradually reduced conscious state resulting in coma. Blood tests show hypothyroidism, *hyponatraemia, hypercholesterolaemia, retention of carbon dioxide, and anaemia. Treatment is with intravenous *thyroxine at a high dosage until the patient wakes up, when tablets can be administered. Support on a ventilator and intravenous fluids may be needed. Active slow rewarming should be undertaken.... myxoedema coma
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