Risks of artificial coma | Artificial coma

Risks of artificial coma

The risks of an artificial coma are the same as with a normal general anesthesia. However, the probability of complications increases with the duration of the artificial coma. The first risks already exist when the anaesthesia is inaugurated.

Possible is an intolerance of one of the anaesthetic drugs or a difficult ventilation situation. In this case, an oxygen deficiency can already occur if the anesthetist cannot control ventilation in time. Intubation can also lead to tooth damage.

The risks of a longer duration of anaesthesia are the same as the risks of a long period of lying in bed. There is a risk of thrombosis, a blood clot that can block blood vessels, which can develop into a pulmonary embolism in the lungs. This is an acutely life-threatening situation, as not enough oxygen reaches the organs.

Long periods of hospitalization also increase the risk of pneumonia, which can also be life-threatening in already weakened persons. In rare cases, the controlled artificial coma can develop into a real coma, the end of which can no longer be brought about in a controlled manner. In addition to the risks of artificial coma, however, complications of the underlying disease must always be expected in those affected.

Consequential damages of an artificial coma

As with a shorter anaesthesia, long-term anaesthesia is also associated with possible late effects and complications. The probability of late effects increases with the depth of the anaesthesia and the length of the anaesthesia, which is why artificial coma leads to late effects more often than short-term anaesthesia during surgery. The age and the underlying disease of the affected person also have a great influence on the probability of complications occurring.

A common consequence of anaesthesia, and thus also of artificial coma, is a transitional syndrome. This is a state of confusion after waking up from the coma. In most cases, this condition recedes within a few days, but especially after a longer artificial coma, the period of the passage syndrome is prolonged.Those affected report of several weeks in which they have difficulty concentrating and have memory gaps, and in some cases do not recognize relatives.

With some affected persons this condition is also expressed by aggressive behavior, which is why in the wake-up phase a fixation is often used to protect the affected persons. A further complication can be caused by interactions with previous medication of the affected person. Since an artificial coma is used for severe injuries, it is often not possible to discuss and plan the anaesthesia in detail and the anaesthetist does not know the patient’s medical history.

In this case, the consequences can go in all directions, depending on the type of medication. For the same reason, the affected person is not always fasting, which can lead to a difficult ventilation situation. In both cases, the consequences of general anesthesia in general and not specifically of long-term anesthesia are involved.

The interactions can also cause the patient to slip into a real coma, which cannot be ended by a spillover of medication. This is a normal protective function of the body on the stressful and threatening situation. Especially in the wake-up phase, further physical complications can occur.

Since during the artificial coma all bodily functions are artificially controlled, the body may have problems taking over these functions again. This includes especially the regulation of breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, the long period of hospitalization can lead to thromboses, blood clots in the legs or other blood vessels, which are usually prevented by medication.

Such a thrombosis can also lead to a pulmonary embolism, which is an acute emergency. The late effects of an artificial coma can only be assessed once all the medication has been broken down by the body. Also the consequential damages of the basic disease can only be estimated after the consequences of the anaesthesia have subsided. Particularly in the case of brain injuries or a lack of oxygen, it is then necessary to check neurologically which consequences the affected person will retain.