Phys · general-medicine
Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient
Also known as Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient · examination of the unconscious patient
Consultant-physician depth guide to Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient for FRACP DWE/DCE preparation — presentation, differentials, investigations, management, complications and exam angles.
On this page
Study tools
Your progress
Saved on this device.
Practise this topic
Target exams
Red flags
- Missed urgency or delayed escalation in Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient turns a salvageable presentation into preventable harm
- Treating the label without confirming the mechanism leads to wrong therapy in Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient
- Ignoring multimorbidity and drug interactions while managing Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient is a classic exam and clinical trap
- Failing to document the shared plan and safety-net advice after Examination OF THE Unconscious Patient loses follow-through
- Using recalled thresholds without a cited source is forbidden — verify before acting
Meet the patient
A 68-year-old woman on warfarin for atrial fibrillation is found unconscious at home. Her Glasgow Coma Scale is 7, her INR is 8.5, and the CT shows a large right intracerebral haemorrhage with midline shift. The two questions that decide her next hour are the two that decide every coma: what is immediately reversible, and where in the brainstem is the lesion?[3]
The mantra for the first five minutes: airway, breathing, circulation, glucose — before the scanner. Bedside glucose is the single most reversible cause of coma, and a hypoglycaemic patient shipped to CT untreated is the preventable harm every candidate must name.[2][3]
References7ShowHide
- [1]Nixon A, Mucksavage J, Morrison C, Panos NG, et al. Protocol-Based Management of Medication Confounders in Brain Death Determination: A Multi-Institutional Review J Am Coll Clin Pharm, 2026.PMID 42310841
- [2]Defaee S, Ouspid E, Barahimi E, Sheybani-Arani M, et al. Pseudo-SAH in a patient with methanol poisoning: a case report J Med Case Rep, 2026.PMID 42163382
- [3]Silva S, Treggiari M, Citerio G, Stevens RD, et al. Stepwise clinical and diagnostic strategy for coma of unknown origin Intensive Care Med, 2026.PMID 42059919
- [4]Barlinn K, Schoene D, Pleul K, Roessler M, et al. Etiology- and age-specific timing of death by neurologic criteria evaluation and declaration in clinical practice Crit Care, 2026.PMID 42106780
- [5]Knapen SE, Hinsenveld WH, Janssen MLF, Mess WH, et al. Utility of continuous EEG monitoring in postanoxic coma: a retrospective multicenter study Crit Care, 2025.PMID 41331652
- [6]Eatz T, Cabrera Y, Cabrera F, Kottapally M, et al. Is a Second Transcranial Doppler Study Needed to Confirm Neurocirculatory Arrest? Neurocrit Care, 2025.PMID 40133758
- [7]Hendin SK, Beske RP, Kjaergaard J, Møller JE, et al. Impact of Higher Versus Lower Blood Pressure Targets on Pulmonary Vascular Hemodynamics During Intensive Care After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Acta Anaesthesiol Scand, 2026.PMID 42399677