Why are people kept in comas for years?

People are kept in comas for years, often transitioning into a persistent vegetative state (PVS) or minimally conscious state (MCS), due to severe brain injury, stroke, or other conditions, with treatments (like feeding tubes) often continued by families hoping for recovery, fearing "starvation," or due to inertia, even when prognosis is poor, sometimes masking hidden awareness. While some comas are medically induced for healing, long-term unconsciousness involves complex medical, ethical, and emotional factors, with families and doctors deciding on life-sustaining care, sometimes for years, despite low chances of significant recovery.

What causes someone to be in a coma for years?

There are three main causes of PVS (persistent vegetative state): Acute traumatic brain injury. Non-traumatic: neurodegenerative disorder or metabolic disorder of the brain. Severe congenital abnormality of the central nervous system.

Do people stay in Comas for years?

Yes, people can stay in comas for years, though most comas resolve within weeks, and prolonged cases often transition to other states like vegetative or minimally conscious states, with recovery depending heavily on the cause and severity of brain injury, though even late recoveries can happen. Cases of patients waking after years, even decades, are documented, highlighting the brain's plasticity, but long-term unconsciousness usually leads to permanent disabilities or death.
 

Has anyone woken up from a coma after years?

Annie Shapiro (1913–2003) was a Canadian apron shop owner who was in a coma for 29 years because of a massive stroke and suddenly awakened in 1992.

What is the longest a person has stayed in a coma?

The longest coma on record, according to Guinness World Records, belongs to Edwarda O'Bara, who remained in a diabetic coma for about 42 years, from 1970 until her death in 2012, though Elaine Esposito held the record previously with 37 years. While O'Bara's case is the longest documented coma, Aruna Shanbaug also spent over 40 years in a persistent vegetative state after an assault. 

What Happens in the Brain During a Coma?

Can you hear while in a coma?

Yes, people in a coma can often hear, even if they can't respond, and familiar voices, like loved ones, can create significant brain activity, suggesting auditory processing occurs and can even aid recovery, according to studies showing brain scans light up for close relatives and recorded stories helping patients regain awareness. While a coma means unconsciousness, the hearing sense is often the last to shut down, so speaking to them is encouraged as it provides comfort and may stimulate healing, though comprehension isn't guaranteed.
 

Do people dream in a coma?

It's complex, but generally, people in deep comas don't dream due to lack of brain activity, but those in lighter states or medically induced comas often experience vivid, dream-like hallucinations, sometimes incorporating real-world sounds or sensations (like ice packs) into elaborate narratives, as the brain tries to process stimuli or cope, leading to confused "dreams" upon waking. 

Do people remember being in a coma?

People's memories of being in a coma vary greatly; some recall nothing, while others experience vivid dreams, fragmented memories, sensory snippets (like voices or touch), or even elaborate false realities, often struggling to differentiate them from reality, as the brain tries to fill the memory gap during recovery. While some consciousness may occur, actual memory formation is often limited, with many patients having little to no recollection of the time. 

What happened to Sarah who was in a coma for 20 years?

For 20 years Sarah lived in a minimally responsive or locked in state of consciousness receiving excellent care that kept her healthy and safe. Little did we know that after many years Sarah had a surprise for everyone.In 2004, Sarah miraculously began speaking.

How long can you be in a coma without brain damage?

A coma typically doesn't last over a few weeks (around 2-4) before a person either wakes up, transitions to a vegetative state, or brain death occurs; the longer the coma, the higher the chance of severe brain damage, though recovery depends heavily on the cause, severity, and individual factors, with shorter unconsciousness often meaning less severe injury and better outcomes. 

Do people in a coma cry?

Yes, people in comas can sometimes cry, but these tears are often involuntary reflex actions (like grimacing, laughing, or groaning) rather than conscious emotional responses, though emerging evidence suggests some unconscious processing of emotion might occur, and some patients report understanding and feeling distress while in a coma. A person in a coma is deeply unconscious, so while their body might react to stimuli like sound or touch with crying, they aren't typically aware or able to respond purposefully like a conscious person.
 

Do you eat while in a coma?

No, someone in a coma cannot eat or drink normally because they are unconscious and lack control of their muscles, so they receive all their nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube (like a nasogastric tube down the nose or a direct stomach tube) or an IV drip, not by mouth. This specialized delivery ensures they get essential fluids, calories, and nutrients to support their body while they're unable to swallow or chew.
 

What is the life expectancy of a person in a coma?

Someone can survive a coma from days to several years, though most last a few weeks, with recovery depending heavily on the cause and severity of brain injury; many eventually wake up, while others transition to a vegetative state, and some may never regain consciousness, highlighting the importance of intensive medical care for survival and managing complications. 

What drug can lead to coma?

Doctors use powerful anesthetic and sedative drugs like Propofol, Midazolam, and Barbiturates (e.g., Pentobarbital, Thiopental) to induce a medically controlled coma, slowing brain activity to reduce swelling, stop severe seizures, or help patients tolerate a ventilator, with these drugs given intravenously for precise control and quick adjustment.
 

Where do long term coma patients go?

Long-term coma patients, often in Disorders of Consciousness (DOC), move from acute hospital care to specialized settings like Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals (LTACHs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Centers (focusing on brain injury), or Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)/Nursing Homes, depending on medical stability and rehab needs; some also transition to home care with intensive support, while a few go to specialist assessment centers for ongoing care, with goals ranging from recovery to long-term supportive care.
 

What are the odds of surviving a coma?

In patients with a scale from 5 to 7, 53% will die or remain in a vegetative state, while 34% will have a moderate disability and/or good recovery. In patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 8 to 10, 27% will die or remain in a coma, while 68% will have a moderate disability and/or good recovery.

What's the longest a person has been in a coma and woke up?

The longest confirmed case of someone waking from a coma is Munira Abdulla, who regained consciousness in 2019 after being in a coma for 27 years, following a car crash in the UAE in 1991, with reports of another patient, Edwarda O'Bara, spending 42 years in a diabetic coma-like state before passing away. While recovery after decades is extremely rare, these cases highlight that prolonged unconsciousness doesn't always mean a permanent loss of consciousness, though recovery is often partial. 

What did Sara hear that caused her death?

On hearing Isaac's answer, Sarah cries out six times, cries which correspond to the shofar sounds, and then she dies (Leviticus Rabbah 20:2). The midrash from Leviticus Rabbah focuses on the effect of Abraham's actions on Sarah. She dies from shock, from the news of what her husband was about to do to their son.

Why did God not punish Sarah?

And when Sarah denied that she had laughed because she was afraid, God forced her to confront the truth of her actions. Yet he did not punish her or retract his promise. God's grace was great enough, not only to do the impossible for Sarah, but also to accept her human limitations and forgive her unbelief.

What does a person see when he is in coma?

The symptoms of a coma commonly include: Closed eyes. Depressed brainstem reflexes, such as pupils not responding to light. No responses of limbs except for reflex movements.

How long will a hospital keep someone on life support?

Hospitals can keep someone on life support for varying lengths—from days to months or even years—depending on the underlying condition and potential for recovery, with decisions often made collaboratively by medical teams, patients (via advance directives), and families when recovery seems unlikely or prolonged support isn't beneficial, as there's no set time limit, but rather a focus on meaningful recovery or quality of life. 

What is your brain doing while you are in a coma?

In a coma, a patient is alive and there is some brain activity. Depending on the severity of the injury, recovery time varies and comas can be temporary or permanent. Patients in a coma might have brain stem responses, spontaneous breathing and/or non-purposeful motor responses.

Is sleeping like being in a coma?

No, a coma is not like sleep; while a person in a coma looks like they're sleeping deeply, they are in a prolonged state of unconsciousness and cannot be woken up by any stimulation, unlike someone who is merely sleeping, even deeply. Coma involves profound brain dysfunction from injury or illness, whereas sleep is a normal, cyclical state with distinct brain activity, including REM, that can be interrupted, notes Stanford Health Care, KidsHealth, and Better Health Channel.
 

What does it feel like to be in coma?

Being in a coma feels like complete unconsciousness, unawareness, and deep unresponsiveness, similar to being in a dreamless sleep or blackout, with no sense of self or surroundings, though some report fleeting fragments of awareness or sensory input, but generally it's a profound lack of sensation or voluntary control, like being shut down. You can't move, speak, or react to pain, sound, or touch, though basic brainstem reflexes and functions like breathing might remain.
 

Do people in a coma know you are there?

No, by definition, people in a true coma are unconscious and unaware, meaning they don't know they are in a coma or perceive their surroundings, though recent research shows many might be conscious but unable to communicate (cognitive-motor dissociation), making their experience potentially a "living nightmare" of being trapped inside their own bodies, feeling pain or pleasure but unable to respond.