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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2022
Patients in a permanent vegetative state (PVS) exist in the netherworld between life and death. They breathe independently, their hearts beat without assistance, and their bodies are warm to the touch. With medical support, these patients can live for many years. Yet, consciousness, the sine qua non of human existence, is irrevocably lost. These patients cannot and never will again see, feel, and respond to the world around them. Their capacity for love is gone, their ability to communicate is gone, and they remain entirely dependent on medical care for their bodily needs. Patients in PVS require artificial nutrition and hydration because they can no longer ingest food and fluids by mouth. They require bathing, turning, and cleaning of bodily waste because they can no longer perform these basic activities of self-care. Modern medicine can keep the motor running, but the patient remains in neutral – a physical vessel now lacking the spark of consciousness.
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