Do all comatose patients constantly require tubes?

[Uberloitenment]

Assuming a comatose patient's organs are all functioning normally, would they still need to be fitted out with tubes constantly?

I am talking about the tubes that are attached either to a vein or to the nose to supply the body with the fluids, nutrients and medicines that all comatose patients require so that their body is kept as healthy as possible.

Do these tubes have to be ever-present or can the nurses attach them when needed (as part of a daily routine)?

[boxtops]

My understanding (never thankfully having experienced this situation) is that due to potential trauma of fitting and refitting feeding tubes etc., it's easier for all concerned to leave them in. I believe some tubes can be fitted with a tap so you only reconnect when needed - but some medication etc may be drip-fed over a period of time. IMO.

[woofgang]

every time you remove/refit any kind of line, you up the infection risk. Tubes do need changing especially the ones into blood vessels but changes are kept to a minimum.

[Sqad]

Comatose patients need to be fed, to breath and to pass urine.

Fed....nasogastric tube OR gastrostomy or I.V feeding.
Breathe.....endotracheal tube or tracheostomy.
Urine..........bladder catheter.

All the above may be modified depending upon the reason for the coma.

An intensive care nurse would attach or remove the tubes, but only on medical advice.

[crisper]

A member of our family was in a permanent vegative state... slightly different... so not in a coma, but unable to communicate... move, fed or do anything...and was not attatched to a ventilator.. breathing by himself... but had a tube in his throat.. for any suctioning etc, and a permanent tube attatched to his stomach, for food, hydration, and medication etc, all of these tubes etc were changed at regular intervals by the medical staff. Hope that helps. ( sorry about my spelling it is Sunday! lol) :)

[Uberloitenment]

Thank you all very much for your helpful answers. I find the use of a tap to be most pertinent and not something I had thought of until you mentioned it. Do you know if there is a medical name for these devices? Or is it just appropriate to call them faucets?

[woofgang]

I have heard a doctor call one a three way dohickey but not sure if that is correct medical terminology. The dohickey in question had an in setting an out setting and a closed setting.

[theprof]

They are not faucets - that term is best confined to your kitchen or bathroom.

One of them is called a cannula. Two or more are called cannulas or cannulae. Many types have wings on the side for easy handling and are called butterfly cannulas. Each stoppered entry is called a port. Therefore what you describe is called a multi-ported cannula,