Man says emergence from ‘coma’ like rebirth

At the age of 43, Rom Houben could communicate with the outside world for the first time in 23 years after he was in a car accident in 1983. He was found to actually have a form of “locked in syndrome” after he was misdiagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state. He claims he was able to hear, feel, and even see some blurred images, but he could not move or show emotion during this period. Using positron emission tomography (PET), a doctor found out that he had normal brain function despite not being able to communicate with the outside world. Even after being correctly diagnosed, he could only communicate by moving his foot to yes or no questions at first, and even now he can only write to others using a touch screen to type out words. He is currently writing a book to tell his story, showing that his mental capabilities have not diminished much if any. According to the article, up to 43% of patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state are incorrectly diagnosed. If this number is accurate, should a brain scan be performed for all patients in a vegetative state before being withdrawn from life support? This brings up ethical questions that should be considered with the family and doctor that cannot be easily answered.

This article closely related to our SNBAL this week, and it was shocking to hear that this could happen to people so often. Much research needs to be made in this area of neurology, as very little about consciousness is known today. A drug or a device that could enable the brain to restart normal function is needed for these patients so that they could regain their way of life. If this isn’t possible, maybe a way to communicate with the outside world would be beneficial; if they can hear and feel, maybe a device that can detect certain brain waves and translate them to sounds could allow basic communication with others. Or at the least, a way to properly diagnose patients with locked in syndrome as opposed to those who really are in a persistent vegetative state.

Stephen Infanger

VTPP 434-502

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34109227/ns/health-more_health_news/