Woman wakes up from coma after 8 months
Awoman in Dubai has miraculously regained consciousness after being in coma for nearly eight months.
The Ethiopian housemaid had slipped into coma after suffering from severe brain damage due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen). The 31-year-old woman had slept off after leaving charcoal burning in her room to keep it warm. The smoke build-up led to carbon monoxide poisoning and she was left unconscious. The next morning as she lay unresponsive in her room, her sponsors called Dubai Ambulance who broke open her room and rushed her to the Aster Hospital Al Qusais.
Severe brain damage
Dr Chaitanya Prakash Prabhu, critical care medicine (specialist), Aster Hospital, Qusais, who attended to her, said: “While the vitals of the patient Tsige Geromi Guta were stable, she was not responding at all, and had slipped into coma due to hypoxia related to carbon monoxide poisoning. We immediately put a tube inside her trachea to protect the airway and put her on ventilator support, but she remained unresponsive for the next two days. Her MRI revealed that she had suffered severe hypoxic damage to the brain and her EEG reconfirmed the same.” Dr Prabhu said: “Only about 20 per cent survive with significant residual neurological deficits.”
In February, doctors conducted a tracheostomy and managed to wean her off the ventilator. Guta began improving.
Dr Prabhu said: “Guta emerged a fighter and surprised all with her recovery. She is now able to move her upper limbs, but is not independently able to sit or walk.”
Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO, Aster Hospitals & Clinics, UAE, said: “The Almighty works in mysterious ways. This patient landed in our emergency department in a life-threatening condition, however, the clinical team acted promptly, and she survived. It is a miracle that the patient survived such a serious hypoxia.”