TORONTO – French doctors are working on bringing former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher out of a coma he’s been in for the past month. But the process could take days and it’s unknown how responsive he’ll be when he wakes up.
Last month on Dec. 29, Schumacher, 45, fell and hit the right side of his helmet on a rock while skiing in France. Since then, he’s been in an induced coma at Grenoble University Hospital in France.
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“Michael’s sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking up process which may take a long time,” Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement.
Dr. Andrew Baker, chief of critical care at St. Michael’s Hospital, said that doctors typically induce a coma to help ease pressure on the brain and deal with swelling.
There are two types of injuries: the primary injury is what breaks in the initial fall, while the secondary injury could be the fallout, such as swelling and congestion.
Baker says that if patients hurt their knees, the body part swells up. The problem with the brain is that it’s enclosed in the skull and once swelling occurs, the pressure could cut off blood supply.
“The main thing we have to do is to lower the pressure inside of the head that builds up from the swelling of the brain,” Baker told Global News. Baker works in ICU at the Toronto hospital and his research area is in traumatic brain injuries.
READ MORE: Former F1 champion Michael Schumacher in critical condition after skiing accident
He reminds readers: our brains use far more energy, oxygen and glucose than any other organ on a daily basis. Chemically inducing a coma can help lessen these demands.
Comas typically don’t last longer than several weeks. If patients are unconscious for a longer period of time, they could transition into a vegetative state.
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In Schumacher’s case, doctors are trying to pull him out of the coma to check on the swelling in his brain and assess his brain function.
The seven-time F1 champ is being artificially sedated and his body temperature was lowered to between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius to reduce brain swelling and reduce energy consumption, according to reports.
Baker told Global News the process could take days to slowly wean a patient off of the chemicals that are sedating them. After that, doctors don’t know how responsive patients will be as they slowly regain consciousness.
“We have to say that to families all the time. We’re all curious about how he’s doing underneath this coma…you have no idea how he’s doing because you made every neuron go silent,” Baker said.
In that time, doctors watch carefully for a rebound: sometimes it’s seizures, or rebound swelling if there’s a spike in demand for energy that can’t be met.
It’s not like turning on a light switch either, Baker said.
“It’s not like in Walt Disney when they open their eyes and say, ‘Am I still in Kansas?’ It doesn’t happen that way at all.”.
The spectrum in categorizing responsiveness is wide: some patients won’t respond to any stimuli at first, or they’ll extend their arms and twist them. In other cases, they’ll do something purposeful like bat your hand away if you pinch them.
Sometimes, they’ll open their eyes and track an object or they’ll respond to commands, such as holding up two fingers or showing doctors their thumbs. In other instances, they’ll even return to talking.
“In some cases, (the patient) doesn’t wake up at all or they start talking. Most people are in the middle and those people continue to get better over the next few weeks,” Baker said.
For now, it’s unclear what state Schumacher will be in as the chemicals inducing his coma are gradually removed.
Kehm, Schumacher’s manager, said that she was providing an update only to clarify media misinformation and leaks.
“The family of Michael Schumacher is again requesting to respect its privacy and the medical secret, and to not disturb the doctors treating Michael in their work,” Kehm said.
“At the same time, the family wishes to express sincere appreciation for the worldwide sympathy,” she said.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
Follow @Carmen_Chai
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