Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Rachel Andrews
Presenter: Mr. Mahesh Kumar Sharma
M.Sc.(Neurosciences Nsg.) 1st yr.
Consciousness
It is defined as a state of awareness of
oneself and of one’s environment , as well
as a state of responsiveness to that
environment or adaptation to the external
milieu.
Components of consciousness
It comprises of two components :
Arousal
Awareness
Unconsciousness
A state of complete or
partial unawareness
or lack of response to
sensory stimuli.
Various degrees of
unconsciousness are
there: e.g. confusion,
stupor etc.
Any abnormality of the following areas can
cause unconsciousness:
Hysteria
Catatonia
Continuum of unconsciousness
disoriented
shortened attention
span
memory deficits
difficulty in following
commands
alteration in
perception of stimuli.
Disoriented to time,
place and person
Increased motor
activities.
Illusion, hallucinations
Reduced ability to be aroused & limited
response to environment.
Sleeps unless stimulated with speech or
touch
Verbally a grunt or nod
Deep sleep or
unresponsiveness
Can be aroused only
with painful stimuli
Responds by
withdrawing or
grabbing at the
source of pain
Coma
State in which a patient is totally
unaware of both self and external
surroundings, and unable to respond
meaningfully to external stimuli.
Contd…..
Totally unconscious, unresponsive, unaware, and
unarousable.
- Abnormal extension -2
- No response -1
Research input : Variability in agreement between
physicians and nurses when measuring the Glasgow
Coma Scale in the emergency department limits its
clinical usefulness.
Holdgate A, Ching N, Angonese L.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency
Medicine Research Unit, Liverpool Hospital,
Liverpool BC, NSW, Australia.
. A senior ED doctor (emergency physicians and trainees)
and registered nurse each independently scored the
patient's GCS in blinded fashion within 15 min of each
other
, a significant proportion of patients had GCS scores which
differed by two or more points. This degree of
disagreement indicates that clinical assessment with
GCS should not be considered as the only mean of
deciding treatment.
Respiration
Cheyene stoke respiration
Contd……..
Neurogenic respiration :
Apneustic breathing:
Contd..
2)Gag reflex
Motor response
ABG analysis
URINE SCREEN for alcohol and drug levels
ARTERIAL AMMONIA LEVELS
THYROID STUDIES
Contd…..
CT/MRI: scan for history of head trauma
Lumbar puncture:
EEG
CARDIAC STUDY: 12-lead study
TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER: to rule out
vasospasm.
PET : if available
Differential diagnosis b/w different
causes of coma
FOCAL LESIONS:
1) Motor signs unilateral & asymmetrical
2) Signs of dysfunction progress rostral to caudal
3) Comma follows motor abnormalities
4) Pupils unilaterally non reactive; later B/L non
reactive
5) Sudden onset
Metabolic coma
1)Confusion and stupor commonly precede motor
signs
2)Motor signs usually are symmetric
3)Pupillary reactions are preserved in most cases
4)Asterixis, Myoclonic, tremor, and seizure are
common
5)Acid-base imbalances are common
Psychiatric causes
1)EEG is normal
2)No pathologic reflexes
3)Eupnea or hyperventilation is usual
4)Motor tone is inconsistent or normal
5)Pupils reactive or dilated
6)Lids close actively
Syncope :
Vasovagal syncope
Lower head end at onset
Postural hypotension
Hyperventilation
Reassurance & exercises to control breathing
Cardiac arrhythmias
Pharmacological or implanted pacemaker control
of cardiac rhythm.
Contd …
Hypoglycemia
Attention to drug regime in diabetes
Removal of insulinoma of pancreas
Vertebro basilar TIAs
Treat source for emboli—Aspirin
Epilepsy
Anticonvulsant drugs
Hysterical attacks
Try to establish the reason for this behaviour
Careful explanation to the patient
Initial management for coma
ABC:
A achieve optimal oxygen and glucose
transport to the brain
B minimize the adverse effects of metabolic and
structural disturbances, with particular reference to
raised intracranial pressure (ICP)
Contd…….
Hyperventilation
Helps to reduce raised ICP by removing extra
CO2 and causing vasoconstriction ,thus
decreasing raised ICP.
Pharmacological treatment
Mannitol : 0.5 mg/kg over 15 min and repeat
after 4 hrs.
Steroids : Dexamethasone
Loop diuretics : inj. Lasix 40 mg stat
Antihypertensives
family refusal
non recognition or delayed determination
of brain death
loss of donors due to profound
cardiopulmonary and metabolic instability
Nurses role in organ donation:
to identify potential donors and contact the
appropriate source to verify if the patient is
eligible for tissue or organ donation.