Living for 11 years in a Permanent Vegetative State – case report

Tudor Sandutu, Andrei Valentin Rusmir, Ana Maria Jula

Abstract


The Vegetative State, term introduced more than 40 years ago, is described as a disorder of consciousness. It represents the by-product of modern intensive care, an unintended consequence of the increased ability to manage neurological damage. The life span of patients in such a state is substantially reduced. For most, life expectancy ranges from 2 to 5 years and survival beyond 10 years reported as being unusual. This article presents a case report, therapeutic management and in-home patient care of a 55 year-old male, who lived in a permanent vegetative state for 11 and a half years.

Keywords


vegetative state, life expectancy, in-home care

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22551/2014.02.0102.10019

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