When you're in a coma, how do people feed you? Do they brush your teeth, cut your hair, nails, etc?

I was watching the "Dead Zone" a while back and wondered if people lose/gain weight while in a coma, still grow out hair, nails, etc., and if there was any regular hygiene like brushing teeth, cleaning out ears, etc. Not planning a coma any time soon, just curious.....

When you're in a coma, how do people feed you? Do they brush your teeth, cut your hair, nails, etc?
Well I was kinda hoping for an upbeat question about the cat or maybe the neighbor kid... but here goes...





Others have already mentioned tubal feeding, so here’s a bit of the “why” in regards to where they put the tube.





Parenteral (aka intravenous) feeding is used short -term during surgery and immediate post-op recovery. It is only used long-term if there is no other choice, ie if the patient's digestive system does not actually function. If the gut IS working, then it's basically a "use it or lose it" sort of scenario, so enteral feeding will be used instead, wherein nutrients are pumped into the stomach and the patient's organs complete the digestion process. They'll start with a nasogastric tube (through the nose into the tummy), but that is also only temporary, due to a myriad of possible complications such as increased risk of infection, risk of fluid entering the lungs, risk of the long thin tube clogging and the fact that the tube is easily dislodged from the ideal spot so placement would need to be continually checked and corrected. So if the patient doesn't come around in short order, they'll surgically implant a tube through the abdominal wall directly into the stomach, and that is how most long-term coma victims are fed. (If the stomach doesn’t work, they can bypass it and feed a tube directly into the small intestine.)





The "food" will be a liquid formula prescribed by the doctors to meet the patient's needs. For example, they can increase protein levels if the patient has wounds that need healing—as in the case of a burn victim-- or decrease protein levels if the patient's kidneys are compromised. Calories can be adjusted so that the person loses weight if necessary, or gains weight as in the case of force-fed anorexics... though long-term coma will eventually result in pounds lost due to decreased muscle and bone mass.





And other machines and procedures will be employed as needed to perform any tasks the body's organs are unable to fulfill. If the patient's lungs aren't working, they'll put him on a respirator. If the kidneys stop functioning, then it's time for dialysis. If the heart is weak, drug therapy will be used to maintain proper blood pressure, and so on. About the only thing they can’t do is force the person to wake up.





Hygiene is cared for by the nurses and aides, though as in any profession, some are more dedicated than others. Something I don't think anybody else mentioned is that, in addition to exercising the muscles, the patient’s body position must be changed regularly to reduce risk of bedsores, which can actually be deadly. And aside from things like trimming nails and brushing teeth, the sites where any tubes are inserted (whether through surgical incisions or natural orifices) need to be cleaned regularly and checked for signs of infection.





I once had to help decide whether or not to turn those machines off... so I asked a LOT of questions and did a lot of research. Please stay healthy Mr. Dalek; comas are way up there on the “no fun” list.
Reply:The pretend coma--involving the couch and seven or eight hours of Simpsons episodes--is perfectly acceptable. I'll throw some popcorn at you from time to time. Report It

Reply:Usually a tube is placed in the stomach to feed the patient a liquid diet. If the coma is short term they are usually "fed" with I.V. fluids. Yes a person does have to maintain the hygienic things.(bathing,nails, etc.) Their hair continues to grow. A physical therapist is usually working on the patient as well to keep the legs and arms as flexible as possible.
Reply:Tube feedings are used. And yes, personal hygiene is taken care of by the nurses or aides.





My Grandmother had Alzheimers and it was really close to being comatose for the last few years.
Reply:Yes your hair and nails continue to grow so must be trimmed. People are usually feed via TPN ( Total Parenteral Nutrition)so the nutrients go directly into the blood stream. All the other hygiene functions are taken care of. As for the weight loos or gain, it really depends on the nutient levels they receive - generally there is a loss of muscle mass and some bone mass loss if the coma is of a longer duration.


Hope this helps.
Reply:The heart is still beating, so the hair, nails, etc... still grow. The nurses and nurses aides keep the nails trimmed, the facial hair trimmed or clean shaven, the patient is bathed by being given a sponge bath, etc.





As far as feeding, people in a coma have tubes that are usually inserted through their noses. They are feed through that with fluids that are packed with viatmins and minerals. Often the drink Ensure is fed through there.
Reply:Usually a nasogastric tube is passed (in the short term) which goes from the nose into the stomach, and special liquid food is delivered via a pump.


For long term cases, a tube called a PEG tube is inserted directly into the stomach and the same food administered.


Or TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) can be delivered via a central line.


Yup, nurses carry out all aspects of personal care including things like brushing hair, cutting nails, cleaning ears etc.


Hope this helps.



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