Impaired Consciousness and Coma
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780190244927.003.0001
Impaired consciousness and coma can result from multiple causes. Clues to the cause may be ascertained from the initial history and physical examination. In patients with coma, the examination focuses on the level of consciousness and arousal, respirations, pupillary and extraocular eye movement findings, and motor response. When all brain and brainstem functions cease and there is a known, irreversible brain injury responsible, the condition is referred to as brain death. This chapter reviews the anatomy of consciousness and provides historical and physical examination clues to determining the cause of impaired consciousness. Aspects of the neurologic examination important for coma and brain death are discussed.
Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.
Please subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.
For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.