Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Until now, social media is still abuzz with the story of Saudi Arabian Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal who was in a coma for more than 18 years due to a car accident.
It is known that Prince Al-Waleed was declared to have suffered a brain hemorrhage and was in a coma after a car accident in 2005. While in a coma, Al-Waleed was reported to have moved parts of his body twice, namely in 2019 and 2021.
The phenomenon that befell the Arab Prince with the nickname “Sleeping prince” has also become a question mark for the public. Actually, what is a coma and why can it occur for years?
According to the official Mayo Clinic website, coma is a condition when a person experiences a prolonged loss of consciousness and is classified as a medical emergency. Patients who experience a coma must receive medical treatment to “preserve” life and brain function.
There are a number of causes of coma, such as traumatic head injury, stroke, brain tumor, diabetes, lack of oxygen, infection, and drug or alcohol poisoning. However, doctors generally carry out a series of blood tests and brain scans to find out the exact cause of the coma.
While in a coma, the brain will only be able to carry out quite minimal activities. As a result, coma patients cannot regain consciousness or show signs of consciousness even though they are still alive.
In some cases, patients who have fallen into a coma may wake up gradually, usually after a few weeks. However, there are also some patients who remain in a coma for years or even decades, but are still alive with nutritional supplementation and assistance with breathing and heart function.
Reporting from Healthline, there are several levels of conditions experienced by coma patients, namely persistent vegetative state, minimal conscious state, up to brain death. Here are the details.
1. Persistent vegetative state.
When in a persistent vegetative state, the patient cannot be aware of the surrounding environment and cannot move independently. Sometimes, this condition can last indefinitely. If this occurs, this condition is called a permanent vegetative state.
2. Minimal conscious state
This state of consciousness often occurs when a patient emerges from a vegetative state. Typically, they show signs of limited awareness and are unable to respond to stimuli or requests, such as “hold my hand,”.
However, at the same time, patients will experience difficulty maintaining consciousness for long periods of time.
3. Brain death
This condition is different from a coma and cannot be cured. The definition of brain death includes certain criteria, one of which is the lack of certain reflexes. Some doctors will carry out medical examinations to find out whether the patient's brain stem and cerebrum are still functioning.
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(miq/miq)