What is an artificial coma?
An artificial coma is a condition in which the patient is administered exclusively for medical reasons. This procedure is designed to treat certain diseases and brain injuries.
Artificial coma: is it dangerous?
Of course, like any other procedure,The introduction of patients into this state involves a certain risk. But this kind of coma is a process that is almost completely controlled by doctors. In most cases, patients successfully return to life.
Artificial coma and indications for its conduct
As already mentioned, in such a state of patients are administered exclusively for medical reasons. Typically, a similar procedure is used to treat certain brain injuries:
- For example, quite often this method is used in the presence of extensive cerebral hemorrhages, which are accompanied by severe swelling and squeezing of tissues.
- In some cases, patients who need a series of complicated surgeries are injected into an artificial coma - the patient is much easier to tolerate all procedures while in a similar state.
- Sometimes this technique is used by neurosurgeons,especially if the patient needs complicated surgical treatment. In such cases, the procedure is much easier, as well as the rehabilitation period - the chance of success of the operation is higher.
- In some cases, an artificial coma is used to remove a patient from a serious epileptic status, especially if all other methods of therapy do not work.
- Recently, who is used for treatmentrabies. Such a technique is currently in the experimental stage. Nevertheless, recent studies have produced good results. It is worth recalling that until recently, rabies (in the absence of appropriate treatment in the first few days after infection) was not amenable to treatment, it was accompanied by severe brain damage.
Artificial coma: how is the procedure?
To introduce patients into this state, two methods are used:
- the introduction of anesthetics into the blood - in most cases, barbiturates are used;
- gradual cooling of the body to thirty-three degrees (rarely used).
Once again, it is worth recalling that this process is constantly monitored by doctors. The work of the circulatory and respiratory systems is maintained with the help of special medications or devices.
During coma in the human body occurchanges. The anesthetics used slow the blood circulation in the brain, as a result of which the intensity of metabolism decreases, the vessels narrow. Thus, the edema of the nervous tissues gradually disappears, the intracranial pressure decreases. This technique prevents the development of tissue necrosis and gives the body time for natural recovery.
As soon as the main symptoms of the disease or the effects of trauma disappear, the doctor prescribes a series of studies, which result in the decision to withdraw the patient from the condition described above.
Artificial coma: consequences
As already mentioned, this method of treatmentis associated with some risk. Nevertheless, the chances of success are high. After anesthesia, the patient will have to undergo a rehabilitation period. Recovery of normal body functions may take some time. Some people recovered from the disease within a year. During this period, the patient is obliged to regularly undergo research and appropriate treatment.
