A person may enter a minimally conscious state after being in a coma or vegetative state. In some cases a minimally conscious state is a stage on the route to recovery, but in others it's permanent. As with vegetative state, a continuing minimally conscious state means it's lasted
longer than 4 weeks
.
What is a minimal state of consciousness?
A person who shows clear but minimal or inconsistent awareness
is classified as being in a minimally conscious state
Can you feel pain in a minimally conscious state?
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 you recover from minimal brain activity?
Some people will make a
full recovery
and be completely unaffected by the coma. Others will have disabilities caused by the damage to their brain. They may need physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychological assessment and support during a period of rehabilitation, and may need care for the rest of their lives.
Do we remain minimally conscious even while asleep?
Patients in a minimally conscious state remain capable of dreaming during their sleep
. Summary: Researchers compared the sleep of “vegetative” patients and minimally conscious state patients. The results of their study demonstrate once again the necessity of an adapted and specific medical care for each of these states …
Can someone recover from minimally conscious state?
Most people in a minimally conscious state tend to improve continuously, but improvement is limited. A few people regain the ability to communicate and understand, sometimes after many years. However,
very few recover enough to live and function independently
.
How can you help someone in a minimally conscious state?
- providing nutrition through a feeding tube.
- making sure the person is moved regularly so they don't develop pressure ulcers.
- gently exercising their joints to prevent them becoming tight.
- keeping their skin clean.
- managing their bowel and bladder – for example, using a catheter to drain the bladder.
Can a person with no brain activity open their eyes?
Someone
in a vegetative state
can show signs of being awake. For example, they may open their eyes but not respond to their surroundings. In rare cases, a person in a vegetative state may show some sense of response that can be detected using a brain scan, but not be able to interact with their surroundings.
Has anyone ever recovered from anoxic brain injury?
A full recovery from severe anoxic or hypoxic brain injury
is rare
, but many patients with mild anoxic or hypoxic brain injuries are capable of making a full or partial recovery. Furthermore, symptoms and effects of the injury are dependent on the area(s) of the brain that was affected by the lack of oxygen.
Has anyone woke up from a vegetative state?
A woman has regained full consciousness after 28 years in a vegetative state
. Munira Abdulla suffered a severe brain injury a car crash in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1991 – when she was 32. … Doctors declared her to be in a minimally conscious state; similar to a coma but receptive to pain.
Why do coma patients cry?
The electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures activity in the cortex, seat of such higher functions as thoughts and emotions, was mentioned by the ambiguity. A comatose patient
may open his eyes, move and even cry while still remaining unconscious
. His brain-stem reflexes are attached to a nonfunctioning cortex.
What is the difference between persistent vegetative state and minimally conscious state?
Two different aspects must be assessed:
alertness
(wakefulness) and awareness. The persistent vegetative state (PVS) is characterized by a lack of reproducible responses to the environment. As soon as simple responses to the environment are seen, the patient is said to be in a minimally conscious state (MCS).
Are vegetative patients conscious?
Patients in a vegetative state do not respond to what is happening around them and
exhibit no signs of conscious awareness
.
Is vegetative state worse than coma?
A coma, sometimes also called persistent vegetative state, is a profound or deep state of unconsciousness. Persistent vegetative state is not brain-death. An individual in a state of coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment.
Whats the longest time someone has been in a coma and woke up?
Dubbed the “sleeping beauty,” Esposito stayed in a coma for
37 years and 111 days
before succumbing in 1978 — the longest-ever coma, according to Guinness World Records.
Can you be conscious in a coma?
At most, a coma lasts for a few days or weeks. As soon as patients open their eyes, they are said to “awaken” from the coma. This does
not
, however, mean that a person is conscious. Most patients who awaken from a coma soon recuperate.
