Some patients come out of a coma – more or less easily, more or less quickly. They then need rehabilitation. Should we deduce from this that the coma has left its mark?
Asked about this during the program “Allodocteurs”, Doctor Alain Cariou, from the intensive care unit at Cochin hospital, in Paris, gave a formal answer: “The coma in itself does not leave any consequences. “
Before adding an important nuance: “It is the lesion that caused the coma which, for its part, can leave sequelae. “
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Variable consequences
Many of the common causes of coma, listed on the website of the Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm), can indeed give rise to sequelae.
Head injuries, strokes and brain tumors, for example, can all affect physical or mental faculties, sometimes irreversibly.
“The prognosis of a coma depends a lot on its cause”, recalls Inserm.
“Despite the rehabilitation, essential after a coma, the difficulties thereafter can be intellectual, physical and psychological”, continues the website of the program “Allodocteurs”.
“It all depends on the severity of the damage to the brain,” adds the latter.
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