How do doctors induce a coma?
Lion named most of the drugs that are used, but the reasons for using these drugs in a head injured patient aren’t quite right. While it is true that many of these medications prevent seizures, they are not the first line agents used in this manner. In fact, we typically start patients on other antiepileptics (seizure medicines), usually Keppra or phenytoin, in addition to the agents used to cause sedation if there is a particular concern about seizures. In addition to the other reasons previously mentioned, management of intracranial pressure – which, just like it sounds is the pressure inside the head – is one of the major reasons for medically sedating a patient with a head injury. If the intracranial pressure becomes too high, the cells in the brain do not get adequate blood flow and can be injured or killed. Sedation prevents the patient from fighting the ventilator, moving about, feeling stress, sensing pain, and so on – all of which can lead to elevation in the intracranial pres
