They have found that some patients in a vegetative state can perform complex cognitive tasks on command, like imagining a physical activity such as playing tennis, or, in one case, even answering yes-or-no questions.
People in a vegetative state cannot do things that require thought or conscious intention. They cannot speak, follow commands, move their limbs purposefully, or move to avoid a painful stimulus. (EEG) have detected evidence of some brain activity suggesting possible awareness.
During this time, they aren't aware of themselves or the world around them. A state of complete unconsciousness with no eye-opening is called coma. A state of complete unconsciousness with some eye-opening and periods of wakefulness and sleep is called the vegetative state (VS).
Other studies have shown that up to 20 percent of patients in various vegetative states can hear and respond on at least some level. But at least some of the responses seen could be dismissed as simple reflexes, or at best akin to someone in a dream state responding to stimuli.
Because people in the vegetative state will respond to noise - by startle or jump, will respond to pain – by moving away, often will have some spontaneous movement, their eyes will move all over the place, they might yawn, sometimes they might stretch or they might move their arms.
If the patient squeezes their hand you know that they are aware. Because you know they can hear and understand what you say, and generate a response. But if the patient doesn't squeeze your hand, you have two possibilities: One is that they are not aware, and the other is that they just can't respond.
Patients in vegetative state do not have emotions, because they do not have consciousness. They have emotional reactions, triggered by absolute physical stimulus thresholds and not by any attribution of meaning. Neonates possess only precursor emotions also.
In this way, Owen and colleagues have convincingly demonstrated that a subset of individuals in persistent vegetative states have meaningfully functioning minds — even as they remain completely unable to engage in other forms of volitional communication or behavior.
Some patients who have entered a vegetative state go on to regain a degree of awareness (see Minimally Conscious State). The likelihood of significant functional improvement for VS/UWS patients diminishes over time. There are only isolated cases of people recovering consciousness after several years.
Many patients recover consciousness and even regain independence after a month in a vegetative state after head injury, but few do so after non-traumatic insult. The longer the state persists the less likely the recovery, and eventually permanence can be declared.
Brain death is different from a vegetative state
Someone in a vegetative state still has a functioning brain stem, which means: some form of consciousness may exist. breathing unaided is usually possible. there's a slim chance of recovery because the brain stem's core functions may be unaffected.
Patients in a vegetative state show no evidence of awareness of self or environment and cannot interact with other people. Purposeful responses to external stimuli are absent, as are language comprehension and expression.
Annie Shapiro (1913–2003) was a Canadian apron shop owner who was in a coma for 29 years because of a massive stroke and suddenly awakened in 1992. Apart from the patients in the true story Awakenings, Shapiro was the longest a person has been in a coma like state and woken up.
Such persons may be able to communicate with, for example, eye blinking. Life expectancy in the persistent VS. Early research8 suggested that life expectancy in this condition was 2-5 years, with survival for 10 years being uncommon. More recent work suggests a somewhat better prognosis for survival.
The Terri Schiavo case was a series of court and legislative actions in the United States from 1998 to 2005, regarding the care of Theresa Marie Schiavo (born Schindler) (/ˈʃaɪvoʊ/; December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005), a woman in an irreversible persistent vegetative state.
While each condition has its own symptoms, those in a vegetative state have no awareness of the world around them while patients with locked in syndrome are aware of their surroundings, cognitively intact, and can interact with others using eye motions.
Unlike a person in a coma, a person in a PVS has sleep-wake cycles or periods when he/she is awake and periods when he/she is asleep, can cough, sneeze, scratch and even cry or smile at times. The person may at times move his/her arms or legs.
In some cases, it may be that the family believe that the patient would have wanted ongoing treatment regardless of their level of consciousness or prognosis. Alternatively, some family members may be hoping for a “miracle” recovery or are simply not yet ready to let go of a loved one.
The costs of caring for patients in a persistent vegetative state are difficult to estimate. The cost of hospital care for the first three months is estimated to be $149,200125.
If an individual is diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state, recovery is unlikely but not impossible. If due to a traumatic cause, recovery of consciousness is unlikely after 12 months in both adults and children.
When a plant has enough leaves for photosynthesis and roots for anchoring, storage, and uptake of minerals then grazing and mowing management can be considered. The late vegetative stage is a valuable phase for harvesting forage.
Generally, most patients at a hospital do come out of a coma. Typically, a coma does not last more than a few days or couple of weeks.
But without brain function, the body eventually shuts down, unless there is medical intervention. Someone on a ventilator may appear to be breathing, but cannot breathe on their own. While the heart usually stops within 72 hours, it could continue beating for “a week or so,” Varelas said.
Persistent vegetative state may be caused by bilateral multifocal or diffuse brain injury that can be acquired, whether traumatic or nontraumatic, or occur in the context of central nervous system neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory, congenital or developmental conditions.