Man Suddenly Improving After Being In A Coma For 11 Years

[Sharingan]

Wonderful news for his family but wouldn't this make you very nervous of switching off life support machines even when the outlook looks hopeless in scenarios such as this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9879308/Mugging-victim-left-in-coma-makes-sudden-recovery-after-11-years.html

[yogasun]

Yes, it just shows how amazing the human body is and, as I have seen Sqad quote :- 'Never say 'never' in medicine'

[aelmpvw]

... hopefully his attackers are now having sleepless nights waiting for a knock on the door

[Sqad]

yogasun,,,;-)

I don't think that the story is as it seems........it would appear that there were slowly improving signs of cerebral function throughout, but suddenly accelerated.

\\\ but wouldn't this make you very nervous of switching off life support machines even when the outlook looks hopeless in scenarios such as this? \\

no Shari....I am quite happy with the adjudicating system that exists.

[LazyGun]

I would not want to make Sqads blood boil any more than it is, but you might find this link of interest Shari.

http://columbianeuroicu.org/patient-information.html

I think they can make a pretty good assessment as to prognosis nowadays. Also some interesting new developments using fMRIs to allow better assessment and rudimentary communication which can help further define clinical assessment of neurological states such as persistent vegetative state etc...

[Sqad]

LG......LOL.....now, "information"...I like.
"Pigeon Hole" diagnosis....I don't.

[jim360]

Doctors can be wrong the other way, too, for example saying you are fine and then you die. It's always a tough decision, and one that I will hopefully never have to make.

[LazyGun]

And I do not like being ticked off for offering a diagnosis when I wasnt, Sqad. I was offering information

Anyway, this is not the right place to be having that debate :)

[Sharingan]

That's an interesting link Lazy Gun. Comas are my bete noir. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year just when this story broke so anything to do with comas always interests me a lot, although my diabetes is very well controlled as of yet. I'm not living in daily terror it might happen to me but it's one of those slightly irrational nags you can get in the back of your mind.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/florida-woman-dies-42-years-coma-article-1.1207154

[LazyGun]

Glad to hear you are managing your condition well, Shari. Must be a real pain in the backside, constantly having to watch your diet, not to mention the insulin injections, and having to plan for all of that when travelling, staying overnight, all of that....

[Sharingan]

Once you can carb count it's surprisingly easy and as long as you're organised it's okay but so far mine is pretty stable which I'm led to understand can change suddenly so I'm always wary of it. Travelling is a bit of a pain, you need letters explaining all your drugs and equipment and a way to keep things cool if you were on a tour for a long time or something like that but just hopping over to Germany is no significant problem. I've never eaten a lot of high carb stuff except noodles and rice but even those can be incorporated if you count them carefully.

[wimp]

Sharingan...I have type 2 diabetes and 2 years ago went into a coma for 16 days because of the tablets i was taking ended up poisoning me(tablets that were ment to help me!) I was on 5 life support machines for different functions. I was given hours to live and all my family came to the hospital to say goodbye!With the fantastic help of the ICU i pulled through! My family and ICU never gave up on me and i love every day i live!

[Sharingan]

wow Wimp so sorry that happened to you:(, that's what I mean it's a nagging fear at the back of my mind. Glad you're feeling better now though xx

[wimp]

Thank's sharingan. Fine now! But it did make me think what if i was left in a coma and how it would effect my wife, what would she do long term!It's a terrible responsibility for 1 person to take on if you have to make a dicision ..ie live or switch off! We have talked about it if it was to happen to either of us.We both know how we feel.Better knowing now than when it is too late...just talk with your family how you feel, you dont have to make any rash decisions, cant do any harm!xx

[Peter Pedant]

no S - the people on life support machines who are dead...are dead.

There others on these machines who are not dead and they recover -mortality 15- 30% in most series.

There are others still who are in a permanent vegetative state (PVS)
which this young man was - from your ref:
"Leon Adams was 24 when he was left for dead by his attackers at a Cardiff train station. He spent two years in a coma and a further nine in a semi-vegetative state."

These are usually not on a ventilator, [but can be], and show sleep-wake cycles, some movement, breathe by themselves,
all of which the people who are dead on a ventilator ALL dont do, ever.

In my generation and possibly Sqad's Karen Quinlan's case caused widespread comment and a few television programs ('Are they really dead?' BBC1 springs to mind) 1990 I think

Nowadays it is Terri Schiavo and there are still acres of print about that, like this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2676957/

Bryan Jennett summed it up nicely as: your relatives should say they think you are brain stem dead because then TWO sets of doctors are obliged to examine you and specify their results....