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Neurological damage is the major long-term concern in the treatment of near-drowning victims. Patients who arrive at an emergency department awake and alert usually survive with brain function intact, as do about 90% of those who arrive mentally i...
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An acute upper airway obstruction is a blockage of the upper airway, which can be in the trachea, laryngeal (voice box), or pharyngeal (throat) areas.
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Aspiration pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs and bronchial tubes caused by inhaling foreign material (usually food, drink, vomit , or secretions from the mouth) into the lungs. This may progress to form a collection of pus in the lungs (lung abscess).
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the result of physical trauma to the head causing damage to the brain. This damage can be focal, or restricted to a single area of the brain, or diffuse, affecting more than one region of the brain.
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Hypothermia is dangerously low body temperature, below 95?F (35?C).
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Hypothermia, a potentially fatal condition, occurs when body temperature falls below 95 ? F (35 ? C). Although hypothermia is an obvious danger for people living in cold climates, many cases have occurred when the air temperature is well above the freezing mark.
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Lack of oxygen to the brain. When the cells of the brain receive little or no oxygen, irreversible damage is often the result.
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Hypoxia generally refers to a lack of oxygen in any part of the body. In a neurological context, it refers to a reduction of oxygen to the brain despite adequate amounts of blood.
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Unconsciousness is when a person is unable to respond to people and other stimuli around him or her. Often, this is called a coma or being in a comatose state. Other changes in awareness can occur without becoming unconscious. Medically, these are called "Altered Mental Status" or "Changed Mental Status." They include sudden confusion, disorientation, or stupor. Unconsciousness and any other SUDDEN change in mental status must be treated as a medical emergency. If someone is awake but less alert than usual, ask a few simple questions -- What is your name? What is the date? How old are you? If the person doesn't know or answers incorrectly, then his or her mental status is diminished.
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