Can vegetative state hear?

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.

Can you hear things in a vegetative state?

A person in a vegetative state, however, has many normal physical functions, including heartbeat and breathing. They sleep and wake up in typical patterns. They may chew and swallow food. They may make sounds, though they don't use language.

Do people know they are in vegetative state?

Summary: 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 cry?

Even though those in a persistent vegetative state lose their higher brain functions, other key functions such as breathing and circulation remain relatively intact. Spontaneous movements may occur, and the eyes may open in response to external stimuli. Individuals may even occasionally grimace, cry, or laugh.

Can vegetative people talk?

Feb. 3, 2010 - A few patients who appear to be in a persistent vegetative state may in fact be aware of themselves and their surroundings. Remarkably, such patients may be able to learn to "speak" using only their brains, suggest findings by Martin M. Monti, PhD, of the UK Medical Research Council, and colleagues.

1 in 5 vegetative patients is conscious. This neuroscientist finds them. | Big Think x Freethink

Can vegetative state feel pain?

To the question "Do you think that patients in a minimally conscious state can feel pain?" nearly all interviewed caregivers answered "yes" (96% of the medical doctors and 97% of the paramedical caregivers). Women and religious caregivers reported more often that minimally conscious patients may experience pain.

Can brain activity come back?

Brain death: Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. A person who is brain dead is dead, with no chance of revival.

Can you pull the plug on someone in a vegetative state?

"Pulling the plug" would render the patient unable to breathe, and the heart would stop beating within minutes, he said. But if a patient is not brain dead and instead has suffered a catastrophic neurological brain injury, DiGeorgia said, he or she could breathe spontaneously for one or two days before dying.

Can unconscious patients hear?

Twenty-five percent of all unconscious patients can hear, understand, and emotionally respond to what is happening in their external environment. However, because of their medical condition, they are incapable of moving or communicating their awareness.

Can someone in a coma hear you?

They cannot speak and their eyes are closed. They look as if they are asleep. However, the brain of a coma patient may continue to work. It might “hear” the sounds in the environment, like the footsteps of someone approaching or the voice of a person speaking.

Has anyone ever recovered from a persistent vegetative state?

Some others have recovered, including the first vegetative patient he ever put into a brain scanner, in 1996. Kate Bainbridge, a young British woman, had acquired a viral infection that plunged her into a coma; she eventually emerged in a vegetative state.

Can a person with no brain activity breathe on their own?

When someone is 'brain dead' they have no reflexes and cannot breathe on their own. They will never regain consciousness or the ability to breathe and are considered legally dead. Usually when someone loses brain stem function they stop breathing, their heart stops and they are clearly dead.

Can a person with no brain activity open their eyes?

Someone in a persistent vegetative state has lost most higher cognitive function, but his or her brain shows some activity. The patient may open their eyes or exhibit small movements, but cannot speak or respond to commands, according to the National Institutes of Health.

What does awake but unresponsive mean?

A vegetative state, or unaware and unresponsive state, is a specific neurological diagnosis in which a person has a functioning brain stem but no consciousness or cognitive function. Individuals in an unaware and unresponsive state alternate between sleep and wakefulness.

Can you hear when dying?

"Our data shows that a dying brain can respond to sound, even in an unconscious state, up to the last hours of life." This new insight into the dying brain's response to sound can help family and friends bring comfort to a person in their final moments.

Can sedated patients hear?

It is possible that patients can hear and feel what is going on around them, even when apparently unconscious, but they might be too sleepy to respond when we speak to them or hold their hand. This is the reason that the nurses explain everything they are doing to the patient and why.

Do unresponsive patients feel pain?

By definition, patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) do not experience pain, but it is still not completely understood how far their brain can process noxious stimuli. The few positron emission tomography studies that have examined pain processing did not yield a clear and consistent result.

How long can a person live in a persistent 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. But death may occur suddenly, and the cause may be unknown.

How do you feed someone in a vegetative state?

Patients who are in a vegetative state (VS) or minimally conscious state (MCS) will almost all be unable to take food and drink orally. Any oral intake is likely to be insignificant, therefore nutrition and fluid must be given through a feeding tube. Nutrition by this method is called enteral tube feeding (ETF).

How long can you live after they pull the plug?

Time to death after withdrawal of mechanical ventilation varies widely, yet the majority of patients die within 24 hours.

What test is done to see if someone is brain dead?

A patient properly determined to be brain dead is legally and clinically dead. The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical. No other tests are required if the full clinical examination, including an assessment of brain stem reflexes and an apnea test, is conclusively performed.

How do they check for brain activity?

EEG brain activity

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small, metal discs (electrodes) attached to the scalp. Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even during asleep.

What are signs of brain death?

Why do brain dead patients move?

Abstract. Spontaneous and reflex movements may occur in brain-dead patients. These movements originate from spinal cord neurons and do not preclude a brain-death diagnosis.

Can you feel pain with no brain activity?

Does an individual feel any pain or suffer after brain death is declared? No. When someone is dead, there is no feeling of pain or suffering.