Altered Mental Status and Coma

The term “persistent vegetative state,” also called unresponsive wakefulness, describes the condition of individuals with severe anoxic brain injury who have progressed to a state of wakefulness without any meaningful response to their environment. A persistent vegetative state is distinguished from a coma in that individuals in a persistent vegetative state have intermittent sleep–wake cycles. The individual's eyes may be open and there may be some yawning, grunting, or other vocalizations. In both cases, the individual is alive, but the brain does not function fully. Persistent vegetative state is most commonly associated with anoxic brain injury due to cardiac arrest, trauma, metabolic causes, or infections. Diagnosis is made by fulfilling specific diagnostic criteria. Treatment is controversial and ethically challenging. Recovery of consciousness from a posttraumatic persistent vegetative state is unlikely after 12 months, while recovery from a nontraumatic persistent vegetative state after 3 months is exceedingly rare.

Brain death is a legal and clinical term describing the irreversible cessation of all cerebral and brainstem functions, including the ability of the brain stem to regulate vegetative and respiratory activities. Brain death can be due to a variety of etiologies causing catastrophic injuries to the brain, including brain ischemia due to cardiopulmonary arrest, drugs, sepsis, and trauma. The diagnosis is made at the bedside based on the clinical context and performance of a neurological exam. Additional ancillary studies may be needed to support the diagnosis and diagnostic criteria may vary among states and countries. A diagnosis of brain death must be established prior to consideration of organ donation.

Coma is defined as a deep state of unarousable unresponsiveness, characterized by a score of 3 points on the GCS. A comatose state can be caused by a multitude of conditions, making the precise epidemiology and prognosis of coma difficult to determine. Diagnosis is made clinically with a thorough neurologic examination, including assessment of the brain stem to evaluate for the presence of brain death. Definitive management depends on the underlying cause.

Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is a rare neurological disorder in which patients are awake and conscious but are unable to move their limbs or speak. The disorder is a result of brain injury to the ventral aspect of the pons and caudal ventral midbrain; etiologies include brainstem stroke, tumors, intracranial bleeding, and demyelinating disorders. Consciousness and the ability to think and reason remain intact, as do the abilities to blink and move the eyes. Diagnosis is made clinically, and the initial management is supportive care for breathing and feeding. Definitive management depends upon the underlying cause and is followed by several months of rehabilitation. Prognosis is generally poor, although some patients are able to achieve significant improvement in some functions.