ABSTRACT
Coma sits at the end of a continuum of decreased levels of consciousness. It represents the
brain’s ultimate response to insult or injury. Coma can be an ominous medical emergency.
Coma is an eyes-closed, sleep-like, unarousable, unconscious state. The patient
demonstrates no meaningful interaction with the environment and no awareness. Spon-
taneous respirations, various reflexes, and simple motor responses to noxious stimuli
may or may not be present. The terms lethargy, obtundation, and stupor imply a higher
level of consciousness than coma. As ambiguity surrounds these labels, describing the
patient is more informative.
