persistent vegetative state

Condition arising from overwhelming damage to the cerebral cortex. The patient lies unresponsive and, though the eyes may be open, he or she remains unaware of his or her surroundings, makes no purposeful gestures, and never speaks. The vegetative patient may survive for many years in a condition that many observers regard as a living death. However, some patients can regain consciousness, even after as long as five years in a vegetative state.

In 2000, approximately 1,000 people in the UK and 25,000 in the USA were in a persistent vegetative state. British research in 1996 linked eye opening patterns with the return of consciousness.