Any-Growth8158 t1_iujpel2 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:05 PM

Brain dead is dead. No brain activity.

Coma is a deep state of unconsciousness. People will not react to painful stimuli, etc. They are not dead and there is minimal brain activity. They may or may not recover from being in a coma.

A stroke (in the brain) is a failure of the circulatory system to provide oxygen to the brain. It can be caused by either a blockage (ischemic) or bleeding (hemorrhagic). Without oxygen, the brain tissue will begin to die. Depending upon severity and speed of intervention, a stroke can lead to minimal repercussions all they way up to coma or death.

morning_star06 OP t1_iujq9bz wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:11 PM

Thank you for your answers. How do people go into coma? Why is it that some people recover and some do not come out of coma?

Any-Growth8158 t1_iujsbui wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:26 PM

I am an EE not an MD, so I can't give the exact cause for a coma (I'm not sure if the exact cause is known). Basically there is damage to the brain (drugs, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, hypoxia, medically induced, etc). There are different levels of a coma (some are more profound than others). The severity of the coma and the length of time in the coma affect the likelihood of a recovery. Unsurprisingly, a lower severity and a shorter time spent in a coma result in a better prognosis.