Abordarea clinică a pacientului inconștient | [The clinical aproach of the unconscious patient]

Abstract

The patient with a depressed level of consciousness is among the most challenging of all because the Oslerian dictum „listen to the patient and he will tell you what is wrong with him” cannot apply. The physician must act expeditiously if life or useful survival is to be saved. The purpose of this issue is to outline immediate measures to care for the unconscious patient, and establish criteria for deciding whether coma is secondary to a toxic-metabolic or cardiogenic disorder (more than 80% of cases are) or a structural central nervous system (CNS) disorder, and provide guidelines for the management of the unconscious patient.