Question 1

can a patient in coma hear?

Accepted Answer

Maybe: Depends on why they are in the coma as to whether or not their hearing nerve pathways might be working.  Your doctors may or may not be able to tell you.  Certainly, it can't hurt to talk to a friend or loved one in a coma.  Best wishes.

Question 2

is it a good sign if a patient in coma's blood pressure increases when you talk to them?

Accepted Answer

Difficult : BP change on talking to the comatose patient means his autonomic system is responding to some stimuli not necessarily speaking. I am not aware of study that has answered to this parameter for prognosis.

Question 3

can a person in a coma hear you?

Accepted Answer

Likely yes!: I can answer this from personal experience. I spent months in an ICU on a ventilator and i was in a coma for part of that time. I heard a lot more than anyone imagined!  believe me, i could write a soap opera. Always assume that someone in a coma can hear you. Talk to the person as if they can, and put your mouth close to their ear.  Don't let anyone make you feel silly for doing so!

Question 4

can a person in a coma hear everything ?

Accepted Answer

It depends: There are many forms of coma.  With light coma the patient can be aware and remember everything that occurs around him.  In deeper forms they may be aware but do not remember.  In very deep forms there is no awareness or memory.  It is very difficult for even highly trained observers to judge the level of coma.  No specfic test is definitive.  Assume they are aware until proven otherwise.

Question 5

can a person in a coma hear things at all?

Accepted Answer

No: Coma is usually defined as unconscious unresponsiveness.  During coma an individual cannot hear.
However during an acute or chronic vegetative state or minimally responsive state, during which patients may appear to be in coma, a patient may have memory of what is said.

Question 6

might it be that a a person in a coma hear what others are saying nearby?

Accepted Answer

Yes they can. : We used to think not, but after interviewing those patients who have awakened from their coma state, they clearly have some but not  total recall of some events.

Question 7

could people in comas hear or smell or feel?

Accepted Answer

Good question: In some cases, communication is possible, especially in so called akinetic mutism or locked in syndrome, but if coma is due to severe brain injury or frank brain death, doubtful that any reception of stimuli present.

Question 8

what happens to a coma patient when somone pulls the plug?

Accepted Answer

They may die: If someone in coma is kept alive by artificial means and those means are taken away, someone would die.  People in coma may still have brainstem functions left which would mean they could still breathe on their own.  These people may not die if you "pull the plug".

Question 9

can you tell me any information on reflexology helping coma patients?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what: you mean by "helping".  Most doctors do not know much about reflexology and I am one of those docs, so I cannot tell you.  All I can tell you is that the prognosis of a coma depends on what put the patient into a coma in the first place.  I would be tempted to say that it cannot hurt, but then again, I would not know.  Check with a local reflexologist or somebody with experience in eastern med.

Question 10

how long does it take for a coma patient to start remembering  things?

Accepted Answer

No fixed answer: This question can only be answered on an individual basis. There are too many variables to answer here. The range is from one second (concussion) to never (permanent coma).

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Can a patient in coma hear

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Can a patient in coma hear?

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Is it a good sign if a patient in coma's blood pressure increases when you talk to them?

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Can a person in a coma hear you?

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Can a person in a coma hear everything ?

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Can a person in a coma hear things at all?

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Might it be that a a person in a coma hear what others are saying nearby?

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Could people in comas hear or smell or feel?

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What happens to a coma patient when somone pulls the plug?

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Can you tell me any information on reflexology helping coma patients?

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How long does it take for a coma patient to start remembering things?

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