No. If someone’s about to fall into a coma, there’s nothing you can say to stop it. Whatever problem is causing a loss of consciousness—stroke, drug overdose, or something else—will generally continue to unfold irrespective of a patient’s state of awareness. It’s often said that head-injury patients should be kept awake, on the theory that dozing off could send them into a coma. Many doctors say that’s not the case. The one thing they do watch for in an unresponsive patient is hindered breathing. ER doctors and technicians are trained to keep a victim’s airway clear. They may do this by inserting a tube into the trachea—not by begging her to stay alert.—Daniel Engber, from slate.com