Comments on: Locked In http://www.macdoctor.co.nz/2010/02/06/locked-in/ Politics and Medicine: A Lethal Combination Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:59:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Ed Snack http://www.macdoctor.co.nz/2010/02/06/locked-in/comment-page-1/#comment-7868 Ed Snack Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:49:50 +0000 http://www.macdoctor.co.nz/?p=3640#comment-7868 MD, It's worth noting that (as far as I can recall) the study said that they found these responses in 17% of cases studied, so presumably the other 83% showed no reaction. I agree that this is something that should be used where possible (it may not always be available) to test those in a supposed PVS to evaluate what opportunities there may be for any ultimate recovery. People do recover from being labeled as being in a PVS, but it is rare. I suspect this is because we don't really know enough about the physical basis of consciousness to be certain when it is dormant or gone. For some, there is no hope, and is it ethical to maintain their bodies alive in such cases ? I believe that in the somewhat celebrated Schiavo case in the USA, a subsequent PM showed extensive brain atrophication implying that she was indeed in a genuine PVS and that a recovery was effectively impossible. MD, It’s worth noting that (as far as I can recall) the study said that they found these responses in 17% of cases studied, so presumably the other 83% showed no reaction. I agree that this is something that should be used where possible (it may not always be available) to test those in a supposed PVS to evaluate what opportunities there may be for any ultimate recovery.

People do recover from being labeled as being in a PVS, but it is rare. I suspect this is because we don’t really know enough about the physical basis of consciousness to be certain when it is dormant or gone. For some, there is no hope, and is it ethical to maintain their bodies alive in such cases ? I believe that in the somewhat celebrated Schiavo case in the USA, a subsequent PM showed extensive brain atrophication implying that she was indeed in a genuine PVS and that a recovery was effectively impossible.

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