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What is a vegetative state?

Human life activity is determined by the healthy physiological activity of all body systems, the implementation of conditioned and unconditioned reflexes, awareness of the environment and oneself.

With various kinds of injuries, the state of functioning of the body can change depending on which organs and systems are damaged. The vegetative state is one of the forms of existence of the human body that has survived the trauma, but has not fully restored all the functions of the brain. At the same time, the hemispheres of the brain do not work in a person, but the hypothalamus and the medulla oblongata, which are responsible for unconditioned reflexes, function. Thus, a person is in a practically immobilized position, can open - close his eyes, reflexively perform actions conditioned by unconditioned reflexes, but is not aware of the world around him and his state, does not conduct any conscious brain activity.

Lives like a plant, takes food, empties the intestines and that's it. It is for this reason that this state of the human body is called vegetative, as the basic biological functions of the body are preserved: respiration, heartbeat, the work of the digestive tract and urinary system, but the work of both hemispheres is absent. If during the examination of the brain it was found that the hemispheres are not damaged, then they are trying to stimulate them to resume work.

The vegetative state, as a rule, most often replaces the coma state. In a state of vegetation, a person can stay for a long time, almost the rest of his life, until the systems responsible for vital activity fail.

What can lead to the development of a vegetative state:

craniocerebral trauma,
unsuccessful brain surgery,
brain stroke,
bleeding and hematoma of the brain,
oxygen starvation of the brain,
drug, chemical and infectious brain intoxication.

Treatment of a vegetative state includes quality patient care for the prevention of pressure ulcers, muscle and joint atrophy, pneumonia. If individual cells or areas of the cerebral hemispheres are damaged, neighboring areas can take over the work of the damaged tissues. It is this fact that leaves hope for the revitalization of brain activity when it is stimulated.