Tag: Persistent vegetative state

Study by Cambridge researchers finds ‘hidden brain signatures’ of consciousness in patients said to be in a persistent vegetative state

  By Dave Andrusko Last week the UK Independent newspaper published an article written by Science Editor Steve Connor, exploring a fascinating study by scientists at Cambridge University which found “Severely brain-damaged patients in a persistent vegetative state may be capable of being consciously aware of the outside world.” It is the latest in many …

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Supposedly “vegetative” man responds to Hitchcock Thriller

  By Dave Andrusko For those follow NRL News Today, the name Adrian Owen will probably ring a bell. He has done some of the most spectacular work, demonstrating that some patients supposedly in a “persistent vegetative state’ (PVS) are actually aware. We last talked about this in December. Scott Routley had been diagnosed to …

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A father’s promise leads to a remarkable life of love, sacrifice

  By Nancy Flanders For 31 years, Mikey Cortez lived in a coma-like state. At age seven, he was the victim of a drunk driver who stole the lives of his older brother and three other relatives. After doctors told his father Paul that his son might not live, he fell to his knees, took …

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A patient, supposedly in a PVS, “not just aware, but paying attention,” study finds

By Dave Andrusko We have written dozens of stories the common theme of which is that patients diagnosed in a “persistent vegetative state” or “minimally conscious” are either (a) misdiagnosed or (b) much more aware than they are given credit for. Terri Schindler Schiavo captured our hearts and our imaginations but she was by no …

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“Awakening His Mind’s Eye”

By Dave Andrusko Editor’s note. While my family and I are on vacation, we are running some of our favorite NRL News Today stories from the last four months, entries from our “Roe at 40″ series, and an occasional update.  This editorial appeared in the October 2003 edition of National Right to Life News  “Their evidence …

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Using MRI brain scans to reach out to severely brain-injured patients

By Dave Andrusko Maggie Fox is a medical reporter now working for NBC News. I have her name plugged into my “Google Alerts” so when she’s written something I will know virtually the minute it goes online. Often I learn a lot while disagreeing with much that appears in her stories. The headline attached to …

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A Fascinating Study with Real Significance for Brain-Injured Patients

By Paul Ranalli, M.D. Editor’s note. This wonderful story is part of our year-long “Roe at 40” series which highlights some of the thousands of stories that have appeared in National Right to Life News since 1973. If you are not a subscriber to the “pro-life newspaper of record,” call us at 202-626-8828. This appeared …

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Terri Schiavo-Type Patients May Feel Pain

By Wesley J. Smith  “Persistent vegetative state” is the only medical diagnosis I know of that contains a pejorative. No human being is a carrot. And the more we learn about these persistently unconscious patients, the more we  seem to be discovering that they may not be “gone” after all. Now, a study shows that …

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BBC Panorama findings will heighten calls for review of Tony Bland judgement

By Dr. Peter Saunders Editor’s note. Dr. Saunders is a former general surgeon and CEO of Christian Medical Fellowship, a UK-based organization with 4,500 UK doctors and 1,000 medical students as members. Tonight’s BBC Panorama will tell the story of a Canadian man who was believed to have been in a vegetative state for more …

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Awakened by a Sleeping Pill?

By Dave Andrusko Editor’s note. This first ran in 2006. “We have always been told there is no recovery from persistent vegetative state—doctors can only make a sufferer’s last days as painless as possible. But is that really the truth? Across three continents, severely brain-damaged patients are awake and talking after taking … a sleeping …

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Medical Morality Requires Equally Valuing Unconscious Patients

By Wesley J. Smith A neurologist named Dr. Rohan Ramakrishna tells of a potential treatment for persistent vegetative state.  From the MSNBC report: “Researchers from the University of Munich recently reported that they were able to awaken an 82-year-old woman who’d been in a persistent vegetative state by using injections of her own immune cells. …

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New Twist in Rasouli case: ‘Vegetative’ patient now able to give ‘thumbs up’

By Alex Schadenberg, executive director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition An article concerning the Rasouli case that was written by Lisa Priest and published Wednesday in the Globe and Mail under the title: Vegetative Patient now able to give ‘thumbs up,’ fueling debate over life support. The Rasouli case is currently scheduled to be heard by the …

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