Coma

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A coma (from Ancient Greek κῶμα koma 'deep sleep') is a prolonged state of deep unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond impulsively to stimuli (including pain, light, and sound), lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. The person may experience respiratory and circulatory problems due to the body's inability to maintain normal bodily functions. People in a coma often require extensive medical care to maintain their health and prevent complications such as pneumonia or blood clots. Coma patients exhibit a complete absence of wakefulness and are unable to consciously feel, speak or move. Comas can be the result of natural causes, or can be medically induced; for example, during general anesthesia. Clinically, a coma can be defined as the consistent inability to follow a one-step command. For a patient to maintain consciousness, the components of wakefulness and awareness must be maintained. Wakefulness is a quantitative assessment...

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