When is a brain injured patient hopeless?
In this age of euthanasia and assisted-suicide, many doctors seem so negative in their prognosis whenever they encounter a comatose patient. They seem quick to recommend organ donation instead of enhancing the life of those suffering from brain injury.
Here is an article that inspires hope and possible treatment for those hospitalized in comas for years with traumatic brain injury. I have only presented one paragraph from the article.
How Can We Tell If a Comatose Patient Is Conscious?
... What is consciousness?
It is difficult enough to define “life,” even more so to define “conscious” life. There is no single definition. But of course, in clinical practice we need unambiguous criteria. In that setting, everyone needs to know what we mean by an “unconscious” patient. Consciousness is not “all or nothing.” We can be more or less awake, more or less conscious. Consciousness is often underestimated; much more is going on in the brains of newborns, animals and coma patients than we think. ...
To read this excellent article, please click https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... conscious/