Medically Induced or Self-induced Coma

A coma is described as a profound state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be awakened. It comes from the Greek word koma, meaning deep sleep. A person can go into a coma for a variety of reasons such as; severe blood loss, epilepsy, diabetic shock, brain tumors, misuse of over the counter or prescription drugs and inflammation of the brain from accidents to name a few. There are even some forms of spiritual interventions and meditation that can induce a control period of comatose.

General speaking the longer a person is in a coma, the longer it is for them to recover, if recovery is possible. With today’s advances in new medical technology many people with brain injuries or in comas have made miraculous recoveries.

Initially, coma is considered a medical emergency. The immediate treatment is directed to maintaining the patient’s respiration and circulation. Intravenous fluids, and blood as well as other supportive care are needed. Once a patient is stable and out of immediate danger other considerations are addressed such as, infections and pneumonia.

Patients need to be protected from bedsores and a feeding tube will need to be inserted into the stomach to insure the patient has enough nutrients. Usually, a coma does not last for more than a few weeks but in some cases a coma can last years. Most people do come out of a coma but they may not make a full recovery. They may suffer from confusion, speech problems, and memory loss or partial paralysis.

Over the last five years hospitals have made astounding advances with brain trauma patients. The advances in treatment for brain trauma and coma patients were perfected in the military hospitals of Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, according to the Washington Post, 47% of patient survived with moderate or no disabilities.

The medically induced coma

The miraculous recoveries of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, ABC’s Bob Woodruff and shooting victim Mary Jo Buttafuoco were due to medically induced comas. These types of brain injuries in the past had been considered non-survivable.

Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in Arizona and put into a medically induced coma in an effort to reduce brain swelling and allow her brain to rest. Although Giffords was not hit in any critical parts of the brain, how much of a full recovery she will have is still unknown.

Bob Woodruff, who survived a massive brain injury, is back on the air five years later after being put in a medically induced coma. Woodruff admits it has been a struggle and does not believe he will ever be the same as he was before. He still suffers with memory and vocabulary problem yet his comeback is nothing short of a miracle.

Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the woman who was shot point blank in the head by her husbands teenage mistress, may have survived her ordeal because she also was placed into a medically induced coma. Seventeen years later Buttafuoco, who spent three days in a coma still deals with nerve damage pain, partial paralysis, blurred vision and hearing loss but she’s alive.



What is a medically induced coma and why is it necessary for brain injuries? Brain injuries are similar to other bodily injuries in that they cause swelling. But when the brain swells inside the skull it increases intracranial pressure. Since the brain is confined to the space inside the skull, continued swelling cuts off the blood supply, killing brain tissue. Doctors often relieve this pressure by removing part of the skull.

Through the use of the medically induced coma the patient’s brain is put to rest allowing the brain to heal. The patient is given either pentobarbital, or propofol to induce the coma. Pentobarbital is a barbiturate and propofol is a sedative. When the patient is placed in a coma the brain wave activity is flat on the EEG monitor. They are unresponsive to external stimuli like noise and light allowing the brain to shut down most of its activities. The main difference between the medically induced coma and coma, is that it is reversible. After a period of time the brain can heal and the swelling will go down. In this way the doctors can protect the brain and monitor intracranial pressure to determine when to conclude the coma. The determination of how long in induced coma should continue depends on the extent of the injury.

Self-induced coma

You might think I’m talking about the use of drugs and alcohol here but the self-induced coma is entirely different. Yogis to demonstrate their skills of self-control over their physical body by pursuing the state of self-induced coma.

Some very proficient yogis have been known to reduce their heart rates to one beat per minute through meditation or stopping it altogether. Some yogi exercises included holding the body in uncomfortable positions extensive periods of time and sleeping on a bed of nails. More that theatrical showmanship these yogis have locked themselves in airtight boxes or have been buried underground only to reemerge again in perfect health. Of course, these exhibitions are not the same as the medically induced comas but they do demonstrate how powerful the human brain can be.