[Hyperosmolar comatose states]

A recently determined entity, hyperosmolar coma is a good example of a clinical candition attributable to a fundamental alteration, namely extracellular hyperosmolarity. The principal stages in its history are summarised. The laws governing osmosis are recalled and the various features of the sndrome are studied. Attention is drawn to the clinical peculiarities (skin dehydration), biological features (record glycaemia value), and EEG data noted in 17 cases treated in a resuscitation centre over a period of seven years, along with the treatment employed-this being still a matter of debate. Reference is also made to 52 cases of acute drunkenness in a study of the relation between blood alcohol values and plasma hyperosmolarity.