This Is What Happens to the Body and Mind When We Are Coma

Medical Video: What Happens in the Brain During a Coma?

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be in a coma? In various films or novels, coma patients are often described as people who are sleeping long. There are also stories that illustrate coma patients can still hear and understand the events around them. Either because the coma patient is still conscious or his spirit is out of the body. However, does the medical world agree with these stories? Here is the explanation.

Actually, what is coma?

Viewed from a scientific perspective, coma is a condition of long-term loss of consciousness. Coma is usually caused by injury or serious trauma, disease, or poison. These things cause swelling or bleeding of brain tissue. Because of the swelling, the brain in the skull becomes squeezed so that the pressure in the brain increases dramatically. Blood and oxygen become blocked into the brain.

At this stage, brain function has been disrupted. The brain becomes unable to remove the remaining liquid and toxic substances out of the body. As a result, the liquid will pool in the brain. This is what causes a person to lose consciousness and coma, but is still alive.

How is the patient in a coma?

Unlike sleep, a coma patient cannot be awakened. This is because patients cannot feel or respond to external stimuli (such as sound and touch) or their own physical needs (such as eating and urinating).

However, keep in mind that the workings of human consciousness are so complex and mysterious. Human consciousness cannot be measured concretely and there is no technology that can read a person's mind or consciousness.

Although there are a small number of coma survivors who report that they can remember and realize what happened around them when they were in a coma, there is no way to prove that testimony. However, it has not been proven that does not mean it is impossible.

So, is it possible that coma patients are still conscious?

The definition of consciousness itself is still debated by doctors and scientists. Simply put, awareness can be interpreted as whether or not there is (or how much) brain activity. Patients who show signs of consciousness mean that their brains are still functioning and active, even though they are very minimal.

It could be that the patient can only be limited to hearing things around him, but his brain cannot understand why he is there and what happens to him. In different cases, coma patients show finger movements or very low sound production.

In these cases, the patient's awareness may have started again, but has not been fully able to respond like opening eyes or talking. According to experts, this is because there is no clear boundary between full awareness and loss of consciousness. So, it is very difficult to distinguish whether coma patients are still conscious or not.

What can a doctor do to help patients coma?

The key to the healing (or life) of the patient is the healing of his brain. As a vital organ, the brain is the center of all bodily functions. So what doctors can do in a patient's brain is to prevent further swelling, suck up fluid, supply oxygen, repair damaged tissue, and deal with parts that have been damaged too badly.

Life expectancy for patients in coma

Each patient has different complications and physical conditions. So, there are no definite numbers that can determine a patient's life expectancy. Usually life expectancy is greater if the injury or trauma experienced is not too severe, it is not too late to be dealt with, and the patient's body responds to the treatment and medical treatment that is given well.

Doctors will educate family and close relatives about the patient's condition and life expectancy. So, you should always consult your doctor directly if you have questions regarding the patient's condition.

This Is What Happens to the Body and Mind When We Are Coma

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