• Question: how long can a coma last for

    Asked by elsa to Sarah, Claire, Angela on 19 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Angela Stokes

      Angela Stokes answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      Hi elsa
      I guess the answer to this is for the whole of your life. There was a lady in Florida who slipped in to a diabetic coma aged 16 and remained in a coma untill she died some 38 years later. This is the longest known.

    • Photo: Sarah Harris

      Sarah Harris answered on 19 Nov 2014:

      Idefinitely. We’ve now got the technology to keep people in comas alive, it’s more of a morality question as to how long that should be. Without treatment however lifespan would be much shorter (maybe a week or so), as obviously coma patients cannot drink or feed themselves.

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