Do people in vegetative state feel anything?

A person diagnosed as being in a vegetative state has an operation without anaesthetic because they cannot feel pain.

Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones?

Patients in a vegetative state do not respond to what is happening around them and exhibit no signs of conscious awareness. Now research has shown that the brains of patients in a vegetative state emotionally react to photographs of people they know personally as though they recognize them.

Can a person in a vegetative state hear you?

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.

How long can you live in a permanent 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.

Is vegetative state worse than coma?

What is a coma? A coma, sometimes also called persistent vegetative state, is a profound or deep state of unconsciousness. Persistent vegetative state is not brain-death. An individual in a state of coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment.

Has anyone ever recovered from a persistent vegetative state?

Most people with a persistent vegetative state do not recover any mental function or ability to interact with the environment in a meaningful way. However, a few people with a persistent vegetative state improve enough that the diagnosis is changed to minimally conscious state.

Can a stroke leave you in a vegetative state?

People in a vegetative state due to stroke, loss of oxygen to the brain (anoxia) or some types of severe medical illness may not recover as well as those with traumatic brain injury.

Can you come back from a vegetative state?

Any recovery from a vegetative state is unlikely after 1 month if the cause was anything other than a head injury. If the cause was a head injury, recovery is unlikely after 12 months. However, a few people improve over a period of months or years.

What does it mean when a person is in a vegetative state?

A person in a vegetative state can no longer “think,” reason, relate meaningfully with his/her environment, recognize the presence of loved ones, or “feel” emotions or discomfort. The higher levels of the brain are no longer functional. A vegetative state is called “persistent” if it lasts for more than four weeks.

Can a person Blink in a persistent vegetative state?

While some describe those in a persistent vegetative state as brain dead, in fact, the lower brain stem in PVS patients is still healthy and fully functioning. As a result, patients in persistent vegetative states can: blink and otherwise move their eyes.

Can a person recover from a persistent vegetative state?

For those who do, severe disabilities often accompany consciousness. To aid in emergence and facilitate recovery, different types of rehabilitation are beneficial. The appropriate type of rehabilitation, as well as an individual’s chances for recovery, depends on the cause and severity of the persistent vegetative state.

What are the signs of persistent vegetative state (PVS)?

While some describe those in a persistent vegetative state as brain dead, in fact, the lower brain stem in PVS patients is still healthy and fully functioning. 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.