People in a vegetative state can open their eyes, but they cannot speak or do things that require thought or conscious intention, and they have no awareness of themselves or their environment.
A vegetative state is when a person is awake but is showing no signs of awareness. A person in a vegetative state may: open their eyes. wake up and fall asleep at regular intervals.
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.
Patients in vegetative states appear to be awake but unconscious. If they have been in a vegetative state for more than one year, they have little chance of ever recovering. Additionally, no one can communicate with them, including physicians, loved ones, and families.
People in a vegetative state go to sleep and awaken regularly, and their eyes open and move, but typically, they have lost all capacity for thought and conscious behavior.
They're also able to regulate their heartbeat and breathing without assistance. However, a person in a vegetative state doesn't show any meaningful responses, such as following an object with their eyes or responding to voices. They also show no signs of experiencing emotions nor of cognitive function.
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.
IT IS a nightmare situation. A person diagnosed as being in a vegetative state has an operation without anaesthetic because they cannot feel pain.
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.
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.
Patients in a vegetative state are awake but unaware. They have sleep/wake cycles with eyes open for prolonged periods but show no evidence of consciousness on physical examination.
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.
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.
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.
A vegetative state is similar to a coma but isn't the same. People in a vegetative state have recovered enough that they aren't in a coma, but their brain's abilities and activity are still very limited. The potential for recovery from a vegetative state varies widely.
Some vegetative patients may occasionally smile or frown, and less often laugh or weep, but these emotional behaviours show no consistent relation to an appropriate stimulus.
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.
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 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.
As a result, patients in persistent vegetative states can: blink and otherwise move their eyes. breathe on their own. cry or laugh, though not as an emotional response to external events.
The first organ system to “close down” is the digestive system. Digestion is a lot of work! In the last few weeks, there is really no need to process food to build new cells. That energy needs to go elsewhere.
Family members may hold a false hope that the person is just comatose and could wake up with time or treatment. It is important for the medical staff members to fully explain that brain death is final, and that the person is dead and has no chance of ever regaining consciousness again.
Patients may be misdiagnosed as “brain dead” if their doctors fail to order the necessary tests to determine whether or not they are aware of their condition and unable to communicate. Individuals who have suffered severe brain injuries need to be accurately diagnosed to receive the best possible care and treatment.
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.
A person in a persistent vegetative state is unconscious, unaware, and unresponsive. A person can live in this state for years. Brain death, by contrast, is final. Medical technology can keep brain-dead individuals on life support.