See this all the time in movies after someone suffers bad injury of some kind… Is there a danger in an injured person going to sleep or being unconscious. Is there benefit for the injured to remain conscious and awake? (Do not need answer fast)
This is maybe mostly a myth, but I remember being taught at a young age that if someone is in shock, and loses consciousness, there’s a greater chance they will not be able to be revived. I never heard why that was the case, but I’ve seen it enough in movies and on TV to believe there must be something to it. I’ll wait for some MDs to explain why you would want to keep someone from losing consciousness after they have been severely injured…
If the victim is already asleep, you can’t see if they get worse.
It was “The Explainer’s” 2013 final question of the year.
Their take: mostly a myth.
I had a head injury that required an ambulance to take me to the ER for treatment. They made a point of making sure I didn’t go to sleep that night least my head swell and I go into a coma. It was past 1:00 in the morning when I got there and I was drunk, so it took quite a bit of effort to make sure I didn’t nod off. This was at a level two trauma center, so I assume they knew what they were doing.
That kind of talk can be useful in certain circumstances. I was directly behind a car that suddenly turned into the guard rail (instantly destroying the guardrail and the car) a few years ago. I slammed on my brakes and got out fully expecting to be the first on the scene of a fatality but it wasn’t quite like that. The driver was injured and semi-conscious but the airbag had done its job while knocking the hell out of him and injuring his face and nose. He barely knew what was going on and started to go into pretty severe shock with uncontrollable shaking and incoherent speech (I think he just fell asleep at the wheel but the accident was very violent). That can be dangerous on its own.
I couldn’t find any life threatening injuries so I just called 911 and stayed there talking him down in the most calming voice I could while the police and ambulance arrived. I really think it helped. I convinced him to stay in the vehicle and that other people were going to take care of everything. Even holding hands seemed to help get his shock more manageable once he sort of understood that he probably was going to be OK after help arrived.
Doctors and nurses (at least the good ones) use the same strategy in emergency rooms and critical care facilities. The brain-body interaction is complex and not well understood. It is often better if you can keep someone calm and focused on something other than their own trauma.
"There is no benefit to keeping someone awake after a concussion, and it is no longer recommended. In fact, people with a concussion need to sleep to recover. In the days before head CT scanning was widely available, the only way to know if someone had life-threatening brain bleeding (which occurs in less than 0.1 percent of those with concussion) was to observe him for a decrease in his level of alertness that resulted from the blood pressing on vital brain structures. This usually happened within six hours of injury. It was thought that if you could keep someone awake you could prevent him from lapsing into coma, which of course did not work.
Anyone getting very sleepy within six hours of a brain injury should be brought immediately to an emergency department for a head CT scan."
If an ambulance is en-route, a conscious person can answer their questions, supply insurance information, relate any drug allergies, etc.
Since he probably never got the chance to thank you for doing that, I will. Thank you.
At least not without Equipment - like in a Hospital; but the Scenes depicted in the movies/TV are usually without Equipment.
So while it doesn’t help the injured Person to stay conscious (more or less) it’s easier for the helper to know the Patient isn’t getting worse. Or if they are starting to slur their words etc., the helper can do something.
And yes, calmly talking to somebody is better than an injured Person sitting around all alone, probably afraid and with pain.
In our first aid courses, we are always told after the immediate measures (calling the ambulance, checking heart beat, stopping bleeding etc.) that one helper stays with the injured Person trying to Keep them calm until professional help arrives.
If a patient is conscious, an EMT will want them to remain awake for the few moments it takes to assess level of consciousness, alertness, orientation, etc.
Also if for some reason there’s only one responder, they may need the patient to comply with commands for their own treatment and safety (i.e. roll over, help me get you away away from the gas leak, etc). Without assistance, it’s a lot easier to transport a conscious patient in an emergency situation.
I remember a Travis McGee mystery where the hero finds a woman unconscious from a drug overdose (attempted suicide by barbiturates). He puts her under a cold shower to wake her up, then painstakingly walks her around until she is mostly conscious and aware.
Travis and the victim would have been a lot better off if he’d called 911 (or whatever the equivalent was back then), as it is difficult to justify possibly putting someone into shock by the icy cold water treatment or burdening them with unsustainable physical activity. Perhaps walking them around while they’re still conscious (while you’re waiting for paramedics) might lessen the risk of aspiration by a passed-out individual, but I’d question the benefit of pinching, whacking or screaming at a person unconscious from an OD.*
*this site and others promote yelling “Narcan!” at an unconscious OD victim, which comes off like parody. Shouldn’t you scream “Narc Squad!” instead?
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I think we have our answer. It’s about making sure that the hospital gets paid.
I got a concussion in college. Went to the college infirmary where the nurse looked into my eyes, said, “Yep, you have a concussion, have your roommate wake you up every two hours and ask you a simple question.”
Now my roommate at the time…well, even with a head injury I pretty much understood that I’d better just set an alarm and leave myself a note. Something like, “Self, do you know why your alarm is set for 3:30 a.m.?”
But I guess the thing was to make sure I didn’t lapse into a coma. Had I done so, I don’t think the alarm would have woken me up, but it might have alerted someone, though probably not my roommate.
Soon after a suicidal scarfing of pills, I was repeatedly told that by a neighbor while he waited for the ambulance, while I was playing beat-the-clock.
I found it very annoying.
To focus on OP, was it medically necessary?