Question 1

what can i do for a friend in a coma and in critical condition?

Accepted Answer

Support: I am guessing the friend is already in the icu. While most of the time in the ICU is not remembered, some is. Patients may still respond and communicate even if sedated since goal is comfort, not amnesia. Give them support, as well as their family and friends. Critical illness is stressful for more than just the patient and good social support and communication helps the people caring for them.

Question 2

what sort of disease is a coma?

Accepted Answer

Multifactorial: Coma means unarousable unresponsiveness.  It is caused by injury to both cerebral hemispheres or the central brain stem or both.  The cause is either traumatic or non traumatic .  Non traumatic  causes are many - anoxic/ischemic, metabolic, endocrine, infectious, degenerative, etc.  It is a clinical term with many disease types as cause.

Question 3

please answer me. is a "sugar coma" a real medical condition?

Accepted Answer

Sugar coma: Sugar is actually an old term using when the blood sugar levels get very high and can led to a coma state.

Question 4

i had bacterial meningitis as a child, was in a coma for a few days. what are long term complications of this disease?

Accepted Answer

Should be apparent : Bacterial meningitis has the nasty tendency to produce a specific set of problems depending on how soon it was detected & how effective it was treated. Hearing loss was common, brain abscesses can lead to seizures & or movement problems (cp), learning disabilities & the like. As an adult, you either have some of these issues or not. They would have been apparent by school age at the latest.

Question 5

currently my uncle is 38 years old. not covid related. he was perfectly healthy but now he is in critical care with total organ failure, in a coma, and on a ventilator. honestly does he have any chance to survive?

Accepted Answer

: In absence of data involving the underlying diagnosis, and understanding of the evolution of this critical process, it is not feasible to be accurate or precise.  The prognosis sounds very poor, especially if there is involvement of liver, lungs, and/or heart.  An EEG might assess brain stability, but a conference with his doctors is more direct regarding appropriate management.  Wish you the best

Question 6

hello, i had serious kidney surgery in 2007. i was septic and in a coma and my left kidney was lacerated and infected. my surgeon saved my life but i'm plagued with anxiety about the condition of my kidneys and how they're functioning.  my question is thi

Accepted Answer

Just relax: You only need a fraction of one kidney to survive.  If concerned have your primary order a BUN, Creatinine and GFR.  Avoid Ibuprofen and meds that get cleared through the kidneys and drink plenty of water.

Question 7

i was recently hospitalized for a barbiturate overdose. i was in a coma on a ventilator. after i woke up i went to a rehab hospital a few weeks later. the doctor there gave me restoril for sleep. could it make me hypoxic in my current condition?

Accepted Answer

Restoril: Is a benzodiazepine typically used for sleep and never meant to be used for long periods of time. If you have other medical conditions or using other meds that may suppress your respiratory drive, the combination would not be beneficial. Otherwise restoril is a relatively safe drug, lowest possible amount for short periods of time.

Question 8

what causes a coma?

Accepted Answer

Brain damage: Coma is severe brain inhibition. Injuries to the brain, such as traumas, circulation compromise, inflammation, etc, can induce coma.

Question 9

how are comas measured?

Accepted Answer

Glasgow Coma Scale.: The glasgow coma scale is the most widely used measure of a patient's mental status. Other scales are also used.

Question 10

what causes "food coma"?

Accepted Answer

Redirection of blood: Even though there is a dramatic increase in blood flow to the stomach and intestines after a meal (proven by ultrasounds) it is thought that it is the increased parasympathetic nervous system activity (opposite of the fight or flight sympathetic activity) which causes the feeling of lethargy.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

Coma critical condition

A member asked:

What can i do for a friend in a coma and in critical condition?

A member asked:

What sort of disease is a coma?

A member asked:

Please answer me. is a "sugar coma" a real medical condition?

A member asked:

I had bacterial meningitis as a child, was in a coma for a few days. what are long term complications of this disease?

A member asked:

Currently my uncle is 38 years old. not covid related. he was perfectly healthy but now he is in critical care with total organ failure, in a coma, and on a ventilator. honestly does he have any chance to survive?

A member asked:

Hello, i had serious kidney surgery in 2007. i was septic and in a coma and my left kidney was lacerated and infected. my surgeon saved my life but i'm plagued with anxiety about the condition of my kidneys and how they're functioning. my question is thi

A member asked:

I was recently hospitalized for a barbiturate overdose. i was in a coma on a ventilator. after i woke up i went to a rehab hospital a few weeks later. the doctor there gave me restoril for sleep. could it make me hypoxic in my current condition?

A member asked:

What causes a coma?

A member asked:

How are comas measured?

A member asked:

What causes "food coma"?

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?