Question

Medically-induced comas are the last resort efforts used by physicians to limit the swelling of the brain due to brain injury. Mannitol is often used to induce the coma; a barbiturate is used to decrease swelling.

Answer 1

Medically-induced comas are used in emergency medicine to manage severe brain swelling, often due to trauma or infection, utilizing mannitol and barbiturates. These treatments aim to reduce intracranial pressure and prevent long-term damage. Emergency physicians may also use controlled hypothermia to protect the heart and reduce metabolic rates after cardiac arrest.

Step-by-step explanation:

Medically-induced comas are often a last resort treatment performed by physicians to manage swelling in the brain following a serious brain injury. Treatment typically involves the use of mannitol, an osmotic diuretic that promotes water loss to reduce swelling, and barbiturates to lower brain metabolism and pressure. Situations requiring such measures include traumatic injuries when mechanical forces cause brain dysfunction, and medical conditions like meningitis, encephalitis, or meningoencephalitis that result in inflammation and potential swelling within the confines of the skull.

Controlled hypothermia is another technique used by emergency physicians to reduce damage to the heart after a cardiac arrest by inducing a coma and substantially lowering body temperature, which slows metabolic rates hence decreasing the heart's workload. Injectable anesthetics are used to induce and maintain unconsciousness, with propofol, etomidate, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and ketamine among the commonly used drugs.

The careful management of these treatments aims to reduce the risk of permanent brain damage and subsequent cognitive or physical impairments.