Persistent vegetative state

A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness. There is controversy in both the medical and legal fields as to whether this condition is irreversible.

Reference

• Jennett B, Plum F. (1972). Persistent vegetative state after brain damage. A syndrome in search of a name. Lancet 1 (7753), 734–737. PMID 4111204.
• Multi-Society Task Force on PVS (1994). Medical aspects of the persistent vegetative state. N Engl J Med (330), 1499–508. PMID 7818633, PMID 8177248.
• Borthwick C (1996) The permanent vegetative state: ethical crux, medical fiction? Issues Law Med. 1996 Fall;12(2):167-85. Fulltext on author's website (Author questions the validity of most PVS diagnoses, and the validity of the basic nosology.)
• Andrews K, Murphy L, Munday R, Littlewood C. (1996). Misdiagnosis of the vegetative state: retrospective study in a rehabilitation unit. BMJ (313), 13–16. PMID 8664760, fulltext.