What to do if someone is breathing but not waking up?

Learn first aid for someone who is unresponsive and breathing
  1. Check their breathing by tilting their head back and looking and feeling for breaths. ...
  2. Move them onto their side and tilt their head back. ...
  3. Call 999 as soon as possible.
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What to do if a person is breathing but unconscious?

If the person is unconscious but still breathing, put them into the recovery position with their head lower than their body and call an ambulance immediately. Continue watching the patient to ensure they don't stop breathing and continue to breathe normally.
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How can you tell if someone is unconscious or asleep?

A person who is unconscious may seem like they are sleeping but may not respond to things like loud noises, being touched, or being shaken.
...
For example, a person may:
  1. be only briefly unconscious after fainting.
  2. seem to wake up but be hard to understand.
  3. not move or respond for a long time.
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Can you breathe while unconscious?

People who become unconscious don't respond to loud sounds or shaking. They may even stop breathing or their pulse may become faint.
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What can happen if you leave someone who is unconscious and breathing lying on their back?

If a person is unconscious, or non-responsive but breathing, they should be placed in the recovery position while waiting for help to arrive (see How to help someone who has taken a drug). If they are left lying on their back they could suffocate on their vomit or their tongue could block their airway.
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Helping someone who is unresponsive and not breathing #FirstAid #PowerOfKindness



What does it mean when a patient is unresponsive?

Medically speaking, when a person is called unresponsive, it means they're at least unconscious, and possibly dead or dying.
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How do hospitals identify unconscious patients?

Using biometrics to identify unconscious patients

Thanks to the increasing adoption of biometrics for patient identification, many hospitals are now equipped with a way to quickly and accurately identify unconscious patients through a fast biometric scan.
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How do you know if you're in a coma?

The signs and 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.
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Can unconscious patients hear?

Twenty-five percent of all unconscious patients can hear, understand, and emotionally respond to what is happening in their external environment. However, because of their medical condition, they are incapable of moving or communicating their awareness.
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How long can you live in a coma?

Typically, a coma does not last more than a few days or couple of weeks. In some rare cases, a person might stay in a coma for several weeks, months or even years. Depending on what caused the person to go into a coma, some patients are able to return to their normal lives after leaving the hospital.
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What's the difference between a coma and unconscious?

Coma is a state of unconsciousness in which a patient does not react with the surrounding environment. Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and has minimal brain activity. It is not possible to wake a coma patient using physical or auditory stimulation.
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Is being unconscious the same as dying?

Some people will become unconscious a few days before dying and others may die quite suddenly, even remaining awake to some extent right up until they die. If the person becomes unconscious, changing their position can help prevent soreness and stiffness.
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How much sleep is considered a coma?

Clinically, a coma can be defined as the inability consistently to follow a one-step command. It can also be defined as a score of ≤ 8 on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) lasting ≥ 6 hours. For a patient to maintain consciousness, the components of wakefulness and awareness must be maintained.
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What is the best way to wake someone up from a coma?

Here are eight options that may help stir a sleeper in a safe manner.
  1. Music. A 2020 study that compared a standard alarm clock tone to musical sounds found that people preferred to be roused from their sleep by music. ...
  2. Wake-up lights. ...
  3. Natural light. ...
  4. Phone. ...
  5. Mental stimulation. ...
  6. The right scent. ...
  7. Distant alarm. ...
  8. Stick to a schedule.
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When someone is dying what do they hear?

They concluded that the dying brain responds to sound tones even during an unconscious state and that hearing is the last sense to go in the dying process. Many people who have had near-death experiences describe a sense of "awe" or "bliss" and a reluctance to come back into their bodies after being revived.
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Why do coma patients cry?

A comatose patient may open his eyes, move and even cry while still remaining unconscious. His brain-stem reflexes are attached to a nonfunctioning cortex. Reflex without reflection. Many professionals speak of this condition as a ''persistent vegetative state.
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How do you get someone out of a coma?

Some people come out of a coma without any mental or physical disability, but most require at least some type of therapy to regain mental and physical skills. They may need to relearn how to speak, walk, and even eat. Others are never able to recover completely.
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What are the chances of coming out of coma?

Depth of coma

Those who show no motor response have a 3% chance of making a good recovery whereas those who show flexion have a better than 15% chance. Those who make no noise have only an 8% chance of making a good recovery, while those who groan have a 30% chance of so doing.
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Can coma patients feel touch?

A coma is similar to a dream-like state because the individual is alive but not conscious. A coma occurs when there is little to no brain activity. The patient is unable to respond to touch, sound, and other stimuli. It is also rare for someone in a coma to cough, sneeze, or communicate in any way.
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What are the complications of unconsciousness?

Complications
  • Permanent initial brain damage.
  • Secondary brain injury from anoxia.
  • Coma.
  • Aspiration pneumonia.
  • Bladder bowel dysfunction.
  • Skin ulcers.
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Are all patients in ICU unconscious?

If your loved one has been admitted to an ICU and is awake and able to communicate, they'll be fully involved in decisions about their care. But if they're unconscious or sedated, they may not be able to give their consent (permission) for a particular treatment or procedure.
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Can you recover from unresponsive wakefulness?

Those who are young and who experience traumatic brain injury (as opposed to nontraumatic injury) also tend to have a better prognosis. However, recovery is unlikely for patients who remain in a state of unresponsive wakefulness for longer than 12 months.
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Is coma curable?

Sometimes the cause of a coma can be completely reversed, and the affected person will regain normal function. Recovery usually occurs gradually. A person with severe brain damage might have permanent disabilities or never regain consciousness.
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What are the stages of coma?

Three stages of coma

DOC includes coma, the vegetative state (VS) and the minimally conscious state (MCS).
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Can someone in a coma open their eyes?

So one of the things that defines coma is that your eyes are closed. At some point, usually within a week, two weeks, if they remain in that state, they will start to open their eyes. They will start to be slightly more reactive and responsive.
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