What does it mean to be in a coma?
Feb 05, 2014
What happens when a doctor says that a patient is in coma? My uncle sustained serious injuries during an accident and was in a coma for a week.
QDear Doctor,
What happens when a doctor says that a patient is in coma? My uncle sustained serious injuries during an accident and was in a coma for a week.
He was on life support at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Kampala, but a week later, he died. Does someone in a coma feel pain and can he hear what someone else is saying? What exactly happens during this time?
Denis
ADear Denis,
A coma is a state where the brain fails to sustain the fundamental body functions, which include circulation and sensory functions as well as the ability to sense what is going on in one’s environment.
Normally, the brain instructs other body parts. It receives, interprets and sends information to the different body parts. However, during a coma, the brain’s ability to function is too low — the reason a patient in a coma is put on life support (oxygen).
Depending on the level, a person in a coma may or may not feel or hear anything. If the coma has not disabled the functioning of the heart, the patient may still have a pulse. However, most patients in a coma feel and hear but may not talk.