A persistent vegetative state is a disorder of consciousness where a patient is awake but not aware due to an absence of cognitive functions despite intact brain stem activity allowing for vegetative functions like breathing and digestion. Key signs include unresponsiveness to external stimuli while displaying sleep-wake cycles through actions like opening eyes during feeding or shedding tears. Common causes are hypoxic-ischemic brain injuries, trauma, degenerative changes, or metabolic disorders.

1. PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE
Dr jignesh vora

2. FACT
 disorder of consciousness in which partial arousal
is there but not true awareness
 in coma lack of both awareness and wakefulness
while in PVS awareness is absent but wakefulness
is present
 brain death is irreversible end of brain activities due
to total necrosis of neurons due to loss of O2

3. VEGETATIVE FUNCTIONS
 involuntary functions like breathing, HR, digestion
etc

4. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS
 mean person's ability for process of thoughts,
speech, reading, learning
 measured by IQ

5. SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
 unresponsiveness to ext. stimuli
 open eyelids when feeding
 experiences sleep- wake cycle
 grinding teeth
 sheding tears
 dont require life supportive device
 brain stem is intact so vegetative functions occur
 absence of cognitive functions

6. CAUSES
 hypoxic ischaemic injury
 trauma
 degenerative changes
 metabolic disorders