Caring for a loved one in a coma is a distressing time, full of many
questions, and often, not as many answers. Guide to the Comatose
Patient is a first-of-its-kind book that steps into the shoes of the
neurologist, to show the perspective of the staff caring for their loved
ones -- what worries us, how we think and intervene, what we can and
cannot predict, and what we know as a certainty.
In our hospital ICUs, there are more than a dozen comatose patients at
any given point of time. Causes of coma can range from drug-induced
coma--in which medications are used to calm the patient and allow the
ventilator to work properly--to coma due to intoxication and coma
related to a brain injury. No matter the reason, it can be a distressing
time for loved ones.
Guide to the Comatose Patient is a helpful guide for any family member
or loved one confronted with coma. Author Eelco F. M. Wijdicks, M.D.,
Ph.D., a leading neurologist and attending neurointensivist at Mayo
Clinic, begins each chapter by sharing helpful anecdotes from a career
spanning four decades, before diving into the answers to commonly asked
questions, such as:
- What are the causes of coma?
- When will the patient wake up and recover?
- When is no recovery expected?
- When should we consider organ donation?
- What are the rates of survival?
While there are many books on families' experiences with acute traumatic
brain injury and coma, Dr. Wijdicks offers an unusually candid
conversation that allows a peek inside the minds of the doctors caring
for your loved one. Having had many experiences talking to families
having to make difficult decisions at a very difficult time, Dr.
Wijdicks's message is hopeful while remaining grounded in reality--a
reality in which facts must dictate actions.
Guide to the Comatose Patient provides important information so that
families better understand treatment options, but most importantly, the
book offers an open dialogue and optimal transparency to help provide
hope and healing through times of grief.
