comatose

This is an example of one of the worst conditions ever. Parts of the brain that allow a person to move are damaged, but parts responsible for sensation and cognition still function to a degree. It can be hard to diagnose, but this fMRI stuff will probably make the diagnosis a lot easier. As far as the ethical stuff is concerned…we’re standing on the doorstep of a catastrophe in the healthcare system, directly related to rising costs. This condition is rare compared to the number of people who truly become vegetables because of less selective brain damage. I cared for armloads of them at St. Elsewhere.  It costs ungodly amounts of money to keep someone with either condition “alive.” Costs have to be cut somewhere. Metaphorically speaking, we either cut mammography for 40 year old mothers with early breast cancer, or we stop keeping vegetables “alive,” even if there is the off chance they have a spark of consciousness somewhere.  Read more... (307 words, 4 images, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)