On Aug. 6, 1941, 6-year-old Elaine Esposito went to the hospital for a routine appendectomy. She went under general anesthetic and never came out. Dubbed the “sleeping beauty,” Esposito stayed in a coma for
37 years and 111 days
before succumbing in 1978 — the longest-ever coma, according to Guinness World Records.
Do you poop in coma?
When people are unconscious whether it be medically or chemically induced (some patients are given drugs to induce an unconscious state) they still poop. So people in a
coma will usually have a combination of absorbent underwear and then absorbent pads placed in the bed under them
.
How long can someone be in a coma and still wake up?
Recovering from a coma
A coma usually only lasts
a few weeks
, during which time the person may start to gradually wake up and gain consciousness, or progress into a different state of unconsciousness called a vegetative state or minimally conscious state.
Is it possible to be in a coma for 10 years?
Prognosis.
Comas can last from several days to
, in particularly extreme cases, years. After this time, some patients gradually come out of the coma, some progress to a vegetative state, and others die.
Can people 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 you age when your in a coma?
They will age
. But people in a coma will not age like people not in a coma. Without regular use, their muscles will atrophy. The part of their brain that was damages initially (to trigger the coma) might deteriorate as a result of inflammation or “maintenance” responses to the area.
How do coma patients wake up?
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. Someone in a coma will also have very reduced basic reflexes such as coughing and swallowing.
How do coma patients brush their teeth?
If your family member is comatose, a mouth sponge, kind of like a little chunk of sponge on a stick, can be
used to swab a bacteria killing solution called Peridex on the teeth a couple of times a day
. Even a very small amount of this product will do quite a bit to reduce the effect of the comatose period on the teeth.
Do patients in coma eat?
Because patients who are in a
coma can't eat or drink on their own
, they receive nutrients and liquids through a vein or feeding tube so that they don't starve or dehydrate. Coma patients may also receive electrolytes — salt and other substances that help regulate body processes.
What percentage of coma patients wake up?
They found that those who showed less than 42 percent of normal brain activity didn't regain consciousness after a year, while those who had activity above that woke up within a year. Overall, the test was able to accurately predict
94 percent
of patients who would wake up from a vegetative state.
Do you dream when in a coma?
Patients in a coma appear unconscious. They do not respond to touch, sound or pain, and cannot be awakened. Their brains often show no signs of the normal sleep-wakefulness cycle, which means they
are unlikely to be dreaming
.
What does being in a coma feel like?
Usually, comas are more like twilight states — hazy, dreamlike things where you don't have fully formed thoughts or experiences, but you still feel
pain and form memories
that your brain invents to try to make sense of what's happening to you.
Does talking to coma patients help?
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.
Does a coma feel like sleep?
During a coma, a person is unresponsive to their environment.
The person is alive and looks like they are sleeping
. However, unlike in a deep sleep, the person cannot be awakened by any stimulation, including pain.
Can someone in a coma squeeze your hand?
A person in a coma: May or may not have their eyes closed all the time.
Cannot communicate
. Cannot move in a purposeful way, such as following instructions like “squeeze my hand, or open your eyes.”
What are the chances of surviving a coma?
It can be seen that the likelihood of a good recovery in all patients is only
10%
. It is less than 5% in those who have suffered subarachnoid haemorrhage or stroke, about 10% in those with hypoxic–ischaemic injury, but as high as 25% in those metabolic or infective causes of coma.
