How long can you be in a coma before brain damage?

Severe brain injury is usually defined as being a condition where the patient has been in an unconscious state for 6 hours or more, or a post-traumatic amnesia of 24 hours or more.


How long can you stay in a coma with brain damage?

Coma rarely lasts more than 4 weeks. Some patients move from coma to the VS. Others may move from coma to partial consciousness. It is rare for a person with severe brain injury to move directly from coma, or the VS, to full consciousness.

How long is too long for coma?

A coma rarely lasts more than 2 to 4 weeks. Some patients may regain a degree of awareness after persistent vegetative state. Others may remain in that state for years or even decades. The most common cause of death for someone in a persistent vegetative state is infection, such as pneumonia.


Do comas give you brain damage?

Some people will make a full recovery and be completely unaffected by the coma. Others will have disabilities caused by the damage to their brain. They may need physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychological assessment and support during a period of rehabilitation, and may need care for the rest of their lives.

What happens if you are in a coma for too long?

A coma doesn't usually last longer than several weeks. People who are unconscious for a longer time might transition to a lasting vegetative state, known as a persistent vegetative state, or brain death.


How long can you be in a coma before you die ? | Best Health FAQ Channel



How long will Hospitals keep you in a coma?

There is no one answer to how long hospitals keep patients in a coma, as it varies depending on the individual case. In general, however, hospitals will continue to provide care for as long as there is hope for the patient to recover.

What are the chances of surviving a coma?

Duration of coma

The longer a patient remains in a coma the poorer his or her chance of recovery and the greater the chance that he or she will enter a vegetative state (table 3). By the third day the chance of making a moderate or good recovery is reduced to only 7%, and by the 14th day is as low as 2%.

Can someone in a coma hear you?

Can Your Loved One Hear You? During a coma, the individual is unconscious, meaning they are unable to respond to any sounds. However, the brain may still be able to pick up on sounds from loved ones. In fact, some studies suggest talking and touching a loved one while they are in a coma may help them recover.


Do patients remember being in a coma?

The experience of being in a coma differs from person to person. Some people feel they can remember events that happened around them while they were in a coma, while others don't.

Do you lose your memory after a coma?

Post-traumatic amnesia typically occurs after a survivor wakes up from a coma, a period of unconsciousness. During this time the survivor may not be able to recall certain memories. This can last from a few minutes to a couple weeks, depending on the severity of the brain injury.

What do people see in a coma?

Usually, coma patients have their eyes closed and cannot see what happens around them. But their ears keep receiving sounds from the environment. In some cases, the brains of coma patients can process sounds, for example the voice of someone speaking to them [2].


What's the longest coma someone has woken up from?

Annie Shapiro (1913–2003) was a Canadian apron shop owner who was in a coma for 29 years because of a massive stroke and suddenly awakened in 1992. Apart from the patients in the true story Awakenings, Shapiro was the longest a person has been in a coma like state and woken up.

Can you pull the plug on someone in a coma?

Can You Pull The Plug On Coma Patients? There is no one answer to this question as it depends on the individual situation. In general, however, it is possible to remove a coma patient from life support if their loved ones wish to do so.

What keeps someone in a coma alive?

The vast majority continue to be kept alive via hydration and nutrition delivered through a feeding tube.


What part of the brain keeps you alive in a coma?

A vegetative state occurs when the cerebrum (the part of the brain that controls thought and behavior) no longer functions, but the hypothalamus and brain stem (the parts of the brain that control vital functions, such as sleep cycles, body temperature, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, and consciousness) continue ...

Should you talk to someone in a coma?

Familiar Voices And Stories Speed Coma Recovery

Patients in comas may benefit from the familiar voices of loved ones, which may help awaken the unconscious brain and speed recovery, according to research from Northwestern Medicine and Hines VA Hospital.

How does it feel to be in a coma?

People in a coma are completely unresponsive. They do not move, do not react to light or sound and cannot feel pain. Their eyes are closed. The brain responds to extreme trauma by effectively 'shutting down'.


Can someone in a coma have their eyes open?

Coma with eye-opening may occur with supratentorial, infratentorial, or global brain insults of various etiologies (e.g., stroke, anoxia). Brainstem involvement either as primary injury or secondary injury due to herniation appears to be a commonality among patients with eyes-open coma.

Can you wake up from a coma without brain activity?

Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and has minimal brain activity. It is not possible to wake a coma patient using physical or auditory stimulation. They're alive, but can't be woken up and show no signs of being aware.

Do you go to the bathroom in a coma?

Because patients who are in a coma can't urinate on their own, they will have a rubber tube called a catheter inserted directly into their bladder to remove the urine.


Why can't you move in a coma?

Summary. A coma is a state of unconsciousness you can't be awakened from. The brain doesn't go through normal sleep cycles and you can't move in response to pain. Comas are caused by brain damage from head injuries or illness.

Do people in comas age?

People in a coma will not age like conscious people living life. Muscles weaken & emaciate. The damaged part of the brain might deteriorate as a result of inflammation to the area. However, stress is low.

How many stages of coma are there?

Identify the 4 stages of coma – How long does coma last?


How long can you be on life support?

More invasive life support, such as heart/lung bypass, is only maintained for a few hours or days, but patients with artificial hearts have survived for as long as 512 days. Read more: Are near-death experiences just hallucinations? Do people in a coma dream?

Can brain activity come back?

Brain death: Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. A person who is brain dead is dead, with no chance of revival.