According to Baidu Health, coma patients often use lateral position in clinic, which can prevent foreign bodies or secretions in patients' mouth from falling into trachea, leading to choking, infection, dyspnea and even suffocation. In addition, some comatose patients have lost their pharyngeal reflex, their tongues are weak or atrophied, and their tongue roots will fall back to the pharynx to block the respiratory tract, which is more likely to lead to dyspnea when lying down.
Coma is a state in which brain function is suppressed, resulting in complete loss of consciousness and voluntary movement. The patient does not respond to any stimulus, or has abnormal reflexes. There are many diseases that can cause coma in clinic, such as cerebral hemorrhage and hepatic encephalopathy.