Most patients with cerebral infarction are conscious. The vast majority of patients with subcortical infarcts, mild brainstem infarcts, and partial cortical infarcts do not present with impaired consciousness, and these patients account for approximately 80% or more of all brain infarct patients. These patients may present with cognitive decline, dysarthria, aphasia, limb weakness, sensory abnormalities, and ataxia, but a small number of severe brainstem infarcts and large infarcts involving the cortex can result in impaired consciousness. These patients mainly involve the brainstem reticular formation, as well as the cortical arousal function and cause impaired consciousness. Patients may have different degrees of impaired consciousness such as drowsiness, lethargy, superficial coma, and deep coma. Some patients can improve their impaired consciousness after treatment with dehydration and cranial pressure reduction, cerebral protection, neurotrophy and decompression of the debridement flap, while some severe patients have difficulty in relieving their symptoms and eventually die from brain herniation, pneumonia and other complications.