The differences between a permanent vegetative state and a coma
HLT 520 Week 7 Discussion 2 Latest-GCU
What are the differences between a permanent vegetative state and a coma? How do these differences affect the ethical choices faced by the family and caregivers of the patient? What impacts should the patient’s own wishes have? How would the presence of a living will impact the decision?
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The differences between a permanent vegetative state and a coma
Introduction
Comas are a state of consciousness that can be caused by damage to the brain. A coma is caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow to the parts of the brain that control basic body functions, such as breathing and heart rate. The person may have no response to stimuli or movement; however, they may still respond to touch, sound and light.
A coma is caused by damage to the brain.
You may be wondering what the difference between a coma and a vegetative state is. A coma is caused by damage to the brain, whereas a vegetative state doesn’t involve any physical damage to your body.
A person in a coma may have their eyes open or closed and be unconscious, but they don’t respond to external stimuli (like touch). They might also breathe erratically or have irregular heartbeats—but these are just symptoms of being in an altered state of consciousness rather than being in actual distress because of something happening inside them (like having an injury).
A coma may be caused by trauma, toxins, or infections.
A coma can be caused by a variety of things, including trauma and toxins. A person who has suffered a head injury may develop a coma as part of their injuries. In some cases, victims of toxic exposure may also suffer from comas or other symptoms related to the toxic substance that was ingested.
Other causes of comas include infections and organ failure that are not directly linked to head trauma or poisoning; these types of cases often require treatment over an extended period of time before recovery becomes possible again.
The brain can partially recover from a coma.
The brain can partially recover from a coma.
A person who is in a vegetative state may have some ability to respond to touch and sound, but they’re unable to communicate verbally or move their limbs. This means that you might not see any signs of recovery during the first few months after being admitted to the hospital for treatment. However, it’s possible for someone in this condition to regain consciousness over time—and once they do regain consciousness, it’s likely that they’ll be able to communicate with doctors and caregivers more effectively than before.
A person in a coma can respond to touch, sound and light.
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A person in a coma can respond to touch, light and sound.
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The response may be a reflex response or reaction to the environment.
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If you speak directly into their ear, they might hear your voice and even react.
A coma may last for weeks or months.
A coma can last for days or weeks. In some cases, a person might be in a coma for months. The longer a person is in this condition and the less likely it is that they will recover from it, the more likely they are to have irreversible brain damage.
Comas are reversible in many cases.
If a coma is reversible, it means that the patient can regain consciousness and potentially walk again. While this may seem like an obvious point, it’s worth noting that some comas are indeed reversible — and for many patients, recovery does happen.
The type of coma can also play a role in how quickly someone will recover from his or her PVS state. For example: if you fall into anoxic brain damage (known as hypoxia), which is associated with prolonged comas or PVS states but not necessarily death itself — then your chances of recovery are higher than if you were in complete cell death mode; however, there’s still no guarantee that any given person will fully recover from their hypoxic state due to limited knowledge about recovery rates among those who have been diagnosed with such conditions in the past few years prior to now.”
PVS is irreversible and non-responsive.
PVS is a permanent condition, meaning that once you enter PVS your brain damage is irreversible. This happens because your brain has been deprived of oxygen (or perhaps too much). It’s also caused by factors such as stroke and head trauma, but it can happen to anyone at any time.
Permanent vegetative state (PVS) refers to a person who has no awareness of their surroundings and cannot communicate with others—but who still responds when spoken to or touched on the face or body.
In PVS, people do not respond to any stimulus.
In PVS, people do not respond to any stimulus. This can be confusing because it may seem like you are in a coma or vegetative state when you are actually responsive and able to communicate with your loved ones. In fact, most people who are diagnosed with a permanent vegetative state (PVS) have been able to communicate at some point in their lives; they just weren’t able to do so during the time they were placed on life support or in an artificial coma.
PVS is usually caused by anoxia, blood loss, preeclampsia, meningitis, encephalitis or stroke.
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Anoxia, or lack of oxygen, is a common cause.
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Preeclampsia is another common cause. It’s a pregnancy complication that affects the placenta and can lead to poor blood flow to your brain if it goes untreated.
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Meningitis refers to an infection in the brain and spinal cord that causes inflammation and swelling in those areas of your body; meningitis can be caused by viruses like influenza or bacteria such as streptococcus pneumoniae (the causative agent for strep throat), which enters through an open wound on your skin or mucus membranes like those found inside your nose, mouth or sinuses.* Encephalitis refers to an infection in either one hemisphere (left side) or both hemispheres (both sides).
Conclusion
We hope this article has been helpful in explaining the difference between a coma and vegetative state. A person who is in a coma will respond to stimulus, and their brain can recover from damage. However, it may take some time for them to wake up completely or regain full function of any part of their body due to the severity of their injury. Coma patients are not able to communicate with others or move around on their own but they will still be alive even though they cannot be conscious anymore.
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