- How long can a person survive in a vegetative state?
- What happens when you are in a vegetative state?
- Can you feel pain in a vegetative state?
- What is the difference between a coma and a persistent vegetative state?
- What are the chances of coming out of a vegetative state?
- Can a person in a vegetative state hear you?
- Can vegetative state be reversed?
- What is the difference between brain dead and vegetative state?
- Is a person in a vegetative state brain dead?
- Can the brain heal after lack of oxygen?
How long can a person survive in a vegetative state?
Most people who remain in a vegetative state die within 6 months of the original brain damage.
Most of the others live about 2 to 5 years.
The cause of death is often a respiratory or urinary tract infection or severe malfunction (failure) of several organs..
What happens when you are in a vegetative state?
A person in a vegetative state may open their eyes, wake up and fall asleep at regular intervals and have basic reflexes, such as blinking when they’re startled by a loud noise, or withdrawing their hand when it’s squeezed hard. They’re also able to regulate their heartbeat and breathing without assistance.
Can you feel pain in a vegetative state?
IT IS a nightmare situation. A person diagnosed as being in a vegetative state has an operation without anaesthetic because they cannot feel pain.
What is the difference between a coma and a persistent vegetative state?
An individual in a state of coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment. Coma may occur as a complication of an underlying illness, or as a result of injuries, such as head trauma. A persistent vegetative state (commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as “brain death”) sometimes follows a coma.
What are the chances of coming out of a vegetative state?
About 50% of persons who are in a vegetative state one month after traumatic brain injury eventually recover consciousness. They are likely to have a slow course of recovery and usually have some ongoing cognitive and physical impairments and disabilities.
Can a person in a vegetative state hear you?
But patients are unable to respond to commands (like “squeeze my hand if you can hear me”), and they do not react in meaningful ways to sounds, words, or any other type of communication. They also can’t speak their thoughts or express desires to anyone.
Can vegetative state be reversed?
The persistent vegetative state could be reversed in part by weekly injections with activated immune cells. After therapy, our patient responded to commands in addition to regaining spontaneous movements of both arms and the ability to swallow.
What is the difference between brain dead and vegetative state?
Unlike persistent vegetative state, brain death is the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem (which controls breathing and other vital functions). Certain reflexes, such as spontaneous movement of limbs or sweating, sometimes occur in brain dead individuals.
Is a person in a vegetative state brain dead?
No. Brain death is death. A patient who is in a coma or persistent vegetative state typically has some brain stem function (which controls breathing) and possibly other brain function. When a person is brain dead, no part of the brain is functioning any longer.
Can the brain heal after lack of oxygen?
If the brain lacked oxygen for only a brief period, a coma may be reversible and the person may have a full or partial return of function. Some people recover many functions, but have abnormal movements, such as twitching or jerking, called myoclonus.