New Onset Coma
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Medical Emergency - New Onset Coma is an immediate reason to worry, start crying, and perhaps call a real doctor!
Causes
There are three main categories that cause new onset coma: metabolic, infective and neurological:
Metabolic causes of new coma
- Drug - Alcohol abuse, drug abuse and carbon monoxide poisoning are all good. Wernicke's Encephalopathy can also be caused.
- Sugar - Low sugar (hypoglycaemia), or high sugar (ketoacidosis) both cause coma in diabetics.
Infective causes of new coma
Neurological causes of new coma
- Trauma - Head injury is a good one for putting you in a coma.
- Tumour - A brain tumour in the wrong place can cause a coma.
- Vascular - A stroke or a haemorrhagic bleed.
Management
- First things first: ABC
- Check blood glucose and if its a hypoglycaemic diabetic, give them 50mL of 50% dextrose immediately! This can prevent brain damage. If its high, treat the shock, then give them some insulin.