An approach to critically ill patients in coma.

Abstract

Altered mental state or encephalopathy may range from mild confusion tototalunresponsiveness.1At one end of the spectrum, stupor and coma refer to a state of near or totalunresponsiveness and can be caused by either a focal or diffuse process. Inthis review, we discuss the general approach to patients with stupor and coma.Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important because stupor andcoma often reflect life-threatening, systemic or intracranialprocesses.​intracranialprocesses. Table 1