When a loved one ends up in a coma, it can be hard to understand and sometimes accept the health implications and risks associated with the condition. These feelings of desperation are understandable, but the attorneys at Thorson Law Group are determined to help you answer the most important questions.
- What caused the coma?
- How long will the coma last?
- How can I help my loved one?
Comas usually occur after a significant brain injury or accident. It is difficult to recover from a brain injury that causes a coma, lasting as short as a few weeks or sometimes until the patient passes away. The consequences of a coma may affect the victim’s quality of life, which is why we connect you and your loved one to the medical experts with the training and knowledge dedicated to helping victims of situations just like yours.
Symptoms of a Coma
- Appear to be “asleep,” cannot be woken up or alerted
- Inability to move or respond
- May respond minimally or not at all to stimuli, including pain
- May show involuntary movement
- Inability to communicate or speak
Types of Coma
- Trauma Induced Coma: Comas usually occur after a significant brain injury or accident. Comas can also be caused by a lack of oxygen from drowning or medical negligence. It is difficult to recover from a brain injury that causes a coma, lasting as short as a few days, or sometimes until the patient passes away. Those who sustain a severe brain injury and experience a coma can make significant improvements, but are often left with permanent physical, cognitive or behavioral impairments.
- Medically Induced Coma: A medically induced coma uses drugs to achieve a deep state of brain inactivity. It is a deep, but reversible, unconsciousness that doctors purposely induce. The most common reasons for medically induced coma involve traumatic brain injuries. These brain injuries often result in significant swelling of the brain. The swelling puts pressure on the brain. This reduces blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain, which can damage brain tissue. Inducing a coma allows the brain to rest. It decreases the brain’s electrical activity and metabolic rate. Ultimately, this state helps decrease brain swelling and protects the brain from further damage.
Treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU):
After receiving emergency medical treatment, a person suffering from a severe brain injury and coma may be admitted to a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. The goals in the ICU include achieving medical stability, medical management, and prevention of medical crises.
If you or a loved one is currently in a coma, contact the attorneys at Thorson Law Group. We will dedicate the time and resources necessary to get the right experts to help diagnose your condition and treat it while developing your case.
Treatment
A coma is considered a severe medical emergency. Doctors will first check a patient’s airway and, if necessary, provide help maintaining breathing and circulation. Medical professionals may give breathing assistance, intravenous medications, and other supportive care to help stabilize the patient.
Treatments for a coma heavily depend on the cause, ranging from CT scans, to medications to medical procedures that relieve the pressure inside the skull due to brain swelling.
Glucose and cooling the brain by emergency personnel can help to treat comas and other conditions resulting from traumatic brain injuries.
Recovering from a coma
When the cause of a coma can be completely reversed, the affected person will begin to regain normal function. Recovery occurs gradually, but there are often cases when a coma victim may have suffered permanent brain damage, disabilities, or never regain consciousness. Comas usually only lasts a few days or weeks, but sometimes instead of recovering, patients may begin to slip into a different state of unconsciousness called a vegetative state or minimally conscious state:
- Vegetative State – Appears awake but has no awareness of surroundings or themselves
- Minimally Conscious State – Has limited awareness, but it comes and goes. According to first-hand accounts from people who have been in a coma, they can hear you, and you should speak to them reassuringly and offer support.
Some people may recover from these states gradually, while others may not improve for years, if at all. The chances of recovering from a coma depend on the severity and cause of their brain injury, age, and the amount of time they have spent in a coma, leaving their loved ones both emotionally and financially crippled. Alternatively, if you’ve experienced a coma and have seen your quality of life decline, you know firsthand how difficult it is to recover from a brain injury. It’s not only the setback to your health that has caused prolonged suffering, but emotional and financial hardships as well.
The attorneys at Thorson Law Group are dedicated to helping you and your loved ones get the best treatment, the maximum compensation, and justice.
EN 
ES