Nursing care for comatose patients

When some of our relatives and friends suffer from short-term or long-term coma due to illness, we are very anxious and at a loss as to what to do. At that time, we wonder what we can do for them. So how should we help the comatose patients? How should we take care of them? This article will tell you so that you will no longer be at a loss.

First of all, coma can be divided into three stages according to the degree of coma: mild coma, moderate coma, and severe coma. Patients in a coma lose their sense of the surroundings and do not respond to stimulation of light and sound, but they will respond to intense pain.

How to care for a comatose patient?

1. Comatose patients should be placed in a ward that is easy to observe and rescue. The agitated person should have a bed guard to prevent falling out of bed, or be properly restrained to facilitate treatment. The patient should lie on his back with his head tilted to one side. If he has dentures, he should remove them to avoid accidental swallowing and suffocation. Keep warm.

2. There should be dedicated care and a special record sheet should be established to record the intake and output. Those who have not urinated for 6 hours should report to the doctor for treatment. Patients with dysphagia and no contraindications should be given nasogastric fluid; if conditions permit, intravenous hypernutrition infusion can be used, and attention should be paid to fluid replacement and maintaining electrolyte balance.

3. Keep the airway open.

4. Actively prevent and control infections, pay attention to oral care, clean the mouth twice a day, and wipe with a coarse cotton swab or cotton ball dipped in cold boiled water or saline, 3% hydrogen peroxide, or compound boric acid solution.

5. Comatose patients suffer from incontinence and excessive sweating. Contaminated bedding and clothes should be replaced and washed promptly to prevent bedsores.

The protruding parts of the bones should take turns to bear the body weight. Generally, the patient should be turned over once every 2-3 hours. When turning over, avoid pushing, hugging, pulling, etc. to prevent skin abrasions.

The above are some specific practices we can do when the patient is in a coma. I hope it will be helpful to everyone, so that your relatives and friends will no longer worry about the disease. Instead, calm down and don’t panic. Find a doctor first, and then take care of him according to the above methods, so that his condition will not worsen due to external reasons.