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Previous Volume 334:24-25 January 4, 1996 Number 1 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The vegetative state is a cognitively unresponsive state in which the patient's eyes are open.¹ The diagnosis is made clinically in patients who are awake but have no behavioral evidence of awareness of self or the environment. The absence of communication, response to commands, behavioral response to stimulation, and intentional movement confirms the lack of awareness.^2,3,4,5 The vegetative state is considered persistent if it lasts longer than 1 month after the injury,^5,6 and permanent if it lasts for 12 months, since improvement after this time is extremely rare.^4,6,7 We report a case of emergence from a permanent vegetative state.

Case Report

An . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Discussion

Source Information

From the Inpatient Brain Injury Program, Healthcare Rehabilitation Center, Austin, Tex. (N.L.C.), and the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuropsychology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit (W.N.M.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Childs at the Inpatient Brain Injury Program, Healthcare Rehabilitation Center, 1106 West Dittmar Rd., P.O. Box 43148, Austin, TX 78745.

References

Related Letters:

Late Improvement after Post-Traumatic Vegetative State
Schwaber E. A., Caplan L., Childs N. L., Mercer W. N.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1996; 334:1201-1202, May 2, 1996. Correspondence

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