It’s usually assumed that a person in a vegetative state has no awareness of the world around them. Dr Adrian Owen, who pioneered groundbreaking research that has proven otherwise, explains why we need to be talking to these patients.
Summary
- She survived, but suffered a massive brain injury, which left her in a vegetative state with little hope of meaningful recovery.
- AdvertisementThe vegetative state is often described as ‘wakefulness without awareness’.
- These patients open their eyes and will often have sleeping and waking cycles, although they remain non-responsive to any form of external prompting or stimulation.
- Nevertheless, at the bedside, Scott remained non-responsive whenever he was examined by his doctors and care staff.
- Yet we now know that many of these patients have been completely conscious all along.