Permanent Vegetative State (PVS) is a severe neurological condition resulting from extensive brain injury. It entails a complete loss of conscious awareness,...
A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness with no sleep-wake cycle. In PVS, individuals have sleep-wake cycles and can open their eyes, but show no signs of conscious awareness or purposeful interaction with their environment.
PVS typically results from severe brain injury due to trauma (e.g., head injury), lack of oxygen to the brain (e.g., cardiac arrest, drowning), stroke, or neurodegenerative diseases, causing widespread damage to the cerebral cortex.
Recovery from PVS is rare, especially for adults after 12 months, hence the 'permanent' designation. While some limited improvements in consciousness can occur, particularly in children, regaining full or meaningful consciousness is highly improbable in most long-term cases.
Care for those in PVS is primarily supportive, focusing on maintaining vital functions, preventing complications like infections and bedsores, and ensuring adequate nutrition and hydration, often via feeding tubes. It requires extensive long-term medical and nursing care.