Permanent Vegetative State” Misnamed?
The term “persistent vegetative state” has long been used to describe patients who are awake but show no sign of awareness. In 1994, a task force report endorsed by the American Academy of Neurology said the condition can be considered “permanent” if it lasts 12 months or more after traumatic injury. But recent evidence shows such predictions to be far from certain. The January 4 Journal of the American Medical Association reports on an 18-year-old woman who went into a “vegetative” state after a car accident, began emerging from the state only 15 months later, and was ultimately sent home from a long-term care facility (though still with severe disabilities) five years after the injury. The authors note that an earlier study by the Traumatic Coma Data Bank showed 6 of 25 such patients recovering awareness 1 to 3 years after their injury. They suggest “forgoing the use of the term ‘permanent vegetative state’ altogether” in medical practice. Noting that their patient, and others who ha
