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When a person is unresponsive What does that mean?

Joe Ford

When a person is unresponsive What does that mean?

Medically speaking, when a person is called unresponsive, it means they’re at least unconscious, and possibly dead or dying.

Is being unresponsive the same as being 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.

What to do if a person is unresponsive?

Call or tell someone to call 911. Check the person’s airway, breathing, and pulse frequently. If necessary, begin CPR. If the person is breathing and lying on their back, and you do not think there is a spinal injury, carefully roll the person toward you onto their side.

What causes unresponsive wakefulness?

Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome, or UWS, is a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which causes the brain to halt the ability to create thoughts, experience sensation, and remember past events. Patients in a vegetative state are awake, but show no signs of awareness.

Can unconscious people still hear?

Twenty-five percent of all unconscious patients can hear, understand, and emotionally respond to what is happening in their external environment. However, because of their medical condition, they are incapable of moving or communicating their awareness.

Can an unresponsive patient hear?

Studies of patients’ memories of their unconscious state indicate that they heard and understood conversations. Lawrence (1995) found that unconscious patients could hear and respond emotionally to verbal communication.

Can someone in a medically induced coma hear you?

They cannot speak and their eyes are closed. They look as if they are asleep. However, the brain of a coma patient may continue to work. It might “hear” the sounds in the environment, like the footsteps of someone approaching or the voice of a person speaking.

How long can someone stay in an induced coma?

In most cases, a coma is induced for a few days up to two weeks; induced comas longer than a month are extremely rare. “It’s very much dependent on the individual circumstances,” Souter said. Like most medical procedures, an induced coma carries some risks.

What are the side effects of an induced coma?

Complications that can occur from medically induced coma include:

  • Blood clots.
  • Infection, particularly pneumonia and other lung infections.
  • Heart problems.
  • Pressure sores and weakness from immobility.
  • Vivid nightmares and hallucinations.