Persistent vegetative state: an overview

Egyptian Journal of Neurosurgery

Yeider A. Durango-Espinosa¹  Tariq Janjua²  Amit Agrawal³  Gabriel Alexander Quiñones-Ossa⁴  Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar⁵ 

[1] Cartagena Neurotrauma Research Group research line, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia;Center for Biomedical Research (CIB), Cartagena Neurotrauma Research Group research line, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia;Department of Neurology and Critical Care Medicine, Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, MN, USA;Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Saket Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India;Faculty of Medicine, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia;RED LATINO, Organización Latinoamericana de Trauma y cuidado Neurointensivo, Bogota, Colombia;Consejo Latinoamericano de Neurointensivismo- CLaNi, Cartagena, Colombia;

关键词: Persistent vegetative state;    Vegetative state;    Post-traumatic vegetative state;    Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome;    Traumatic brain injury;    Consciousness disorders;    Brain damage;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41984-021-00111-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDisorder of consciousness diagnosis, especially when is classified as persistent vegetative state (without misestimating the other diagnosis classifications), in the intensive care is an important diagnosis to evaluate and treat. Persistent vegetative state diagnosis is a challenge in the daily clinical practice because the diagnosis is made mainly based upon the clinical history and the patient behavior observation. There are some specific criteria for this diagnosis, and this could be very tricky when the physician is not well trained.Main bodyWe made a literature review regarding the persistent vegetative state diagnosis, clinical features, management, prognosis, and daily medical practice challenges while considering the bioethical issues and the family perspective about the patient status. The objective of this overview is to provide updated information regarding this clinical state’s features while considering the current medical literature available.ConclusionsRegardless of the currently available guidelines and literature, there is still a lot of what we do not know about the persistent vegetative state. There is a lack of evidence regarding the optimal diagnosis and even more, about how to expect a natural history of this disorder of consciousness. It is important to recall that the patients (despite of their altered mental state diagnosis) should always be treated to avoid some of the intensive care unit long-stance complications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY