Gourt > Health > Conditions and Diseases > Neurological Disorders > Brain Diseases > Chronic Damage > Persistent Vegetative State
A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness. There is controversy in both the medical and legal fields as to whether this condition is irreversible.
The syndrome was first described 1940 by Ernst Kretschmer after whom it also has been called Kretschmer syndrome. (Das apallische Syndrom, in .Neurol.Psychiat, 169,576-579 (1940).
The term was coined in 1972 by Scottish neurosurgeon Bryan Jennett and American neurologist Fred Plum to describe a syndrome that seemed to have been made possible by medicine's increased capacities to keep patients' bodies alive. *
More on [ Persistent vegetative state ]
MCW HealthLink - A look at coma and persistent vegetative state. Includes a discussion on treatments and prognosis.
Meta Description: [ A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness. It may occur as a complication of an underlying illness, or as a result of an event such as head trauma. ]
NINDS Information Page - Coma and persistent vegetative state data compiled by The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Meta Description: [ Coma and Persistent Vegetative State information sheet compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). ]
Responding to Patients in the Persistent Vegetative State - An Ethical and Legal Dilemma. - This article was published in Philosophia Christi 19.2 (Fall 1996): 55-83. This journal is a publication of the Evangelical Philosophical Society.
Meta Description: [ The Crossroads Project is a group of Christian scholars and communicators dedicated to helping Christians share their faith effectively in our postmodern culture. Check out multimedia presentations, articles, and interviews in the Crossroads Online Journal. Register for the 2000 Xenos Summer Inst... ]
World Medical Association - WMA policy: Statement on persistent vegetative state. Includes a definition, recovery and guidelines.
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