NOVA: Coma on AllMovie

This television documentary takes a look at techniques used to assess and treat severe head injuries and at the process of bringing these patients out of comas. It looks at actual people being treated in a New York City hospital by Dr. Jam Ghajar. First, doctors make sure that the patient has an airway, is breathing, and has circulation. Then they take steps to prevent the occurrence of a so-called "second accident" to the head injury. A "second accident" causes damage to the brain after the accident that caused the initial damage. During research and meetings with other doctors, a protocol is formed so that doctors have a standard set of steps to follow in the initial stages of a head injury and in the critical week following the injury. Finally, the process of recovery from a coma and severe head trauma is viewed through actual patients.