Why has the person who had the drug for induced coma have not woken up after stopping medication and on dialysis?
Patient: my brtother had complcations after a heart surgery kidneys shut down they used a turbo lung resperator which caused the lungs to be very inflamed.They put him in a drug induced coma , stopped the drugs 5 days a go but he has not woke up??? why??? still can not breathe on own , and on diallies keeping vitals stable with meds.. any answers would be a great comfort  ty  Marie Doctor: Hi,Recovery following heart surgery can be complicated by many setbacks. Some degree of kidney impairment is relatively common after major surgery. Most drugs are passed out of the body through the kidneys so if the kidneys shut down, the drugs remain in the body for longer. This may be partly the cause of his prolonged coma. Another contributing cause may be related to neurological complications. There is a possibility he may have had a stroke and this will delay his recovery.I suggest you speak to his doctors are they will be able to explain the important details to you more fully.I hope your brother makes a speedy recovery.Regards,Dr K A Pottinger,MBChB  FRCA