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Cleveland Persistent Vegetative State and Coma Lawyers
Strong advocacy for catastrophic injury victims in Ohio
Some accident victims suffer injuries that prevent them from being aware of the world around them. For these victims, medical care swings between the hope that the victim may awaken with some cognitive abilities intact and the despair that the victim may pass away. At Crandall & Pera Law, we work with your doctors and our network of doctors to fully understand the possibilities and dangers that every persistent vegetative state and coma victim suffers. We’re skilled at showing how the accident that caused this devastating injury happened and who should be held accountable. Our Cleveland persistent vegetative state and coma Lawyers are ready to fight for your loved one’s survival.
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Table of Contents
- What does it mean to be in a vegetative state?
- What causes vegetative state injuries?
- What are the symptoms of a vegetative state?
- How is a vegetative state/coma diagnosed in Ohio?
- What are the treatments for a vegetative state in Ohio?
- Do you have a Cleveland persistent vegetative state lawyer near me?
What does it mean to be in a persistent vegetative state?
According to Merck Manuals, a vegetative state is:
“Due to overwhelming dysfunction of the cerebral hemispheres, with sufficient sparing of the diencephalon and brain stem to preserve autonomic and motor reflexes and sleep-wake cycles. Patients may have complex reflexes, including eye movements, yawning, and involuntary movements to noxious stimuli, but show no awareness of self or environment.”
Victims who are in a minimally conscious state do have some awareness of themselves and their environments and generally tend to get better to a limited degree. Patients in a vegetative state are not aware and struggle to improve. Many victims in a persistent vegetative state do not survive.
In a vegetative state, the victim’s cognitive functions don’t work, but their blood pressure, respiration, and heart function can be preserved. Brain function generally stays intact enough to “support cardiorespiratory and autonomic functions and are sufficient for survival if medical and nursing care is adequate.” Some victims may exhibit seizures.
Formally, a vegetative state that lasts more than 1 month is considered to be a persistent vegetative state. The duration may vary. In some, albeit rare, cases, a patient in a persistent vegetative state can reach a minimally conscious state or a higher level of consciousness.
What causes vegetative state injuries?
Accidents that cause traumatic brain injuries can cause a vegetative state. At Crandall & Pera Law, we represent victims who develop traumatic brain injuries (and live in a vegetative state) due to car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle, construction, and other types of accidents.
“Typically, a vegetative state occurs because the function of the brain stem and diencephalon resumes after coma, but cortical function does not. Patients can transition between a vegetative state and a minimally conscious state, sometimes for years after the original brain damage.”
What are the symptoms of a vegetative state?
Our Cleveland vegetative state lawyers work with the treating physicians who are skilled at verifying the following symptoms:
- A lack of active responses to external stimuli
- A lack of language comprehension and expression
- A lack of awareness of self
- The presence of:
- Signs of eye-opening and an intact brain stem (eg, reactive pupils, oculocephalic reflex).
- Sleep-wake cycles, not necessarily reflecting a specific circadian rhythm nor associated with the environment
- Yawning, chewing, swallowing, and other more complex brain stem reflexes
- Sometimes, the ability to be startled or aroused by loud sounds or bright lights
- Watering and tearing of the eyes may be present
- The victim may exhibit the “appearance of a smile or frown
- Spontaneous roving eye movements—usually slow, of constant velocity, and without saccadic jerks
Generally, the victim can’t follow commands or react to visual threats. The victim may show signs of primitive purposeful motor responses and have urinary and fecal incontinence.
Rarely, brain activity, detected by functional MRI or electroencephalography (EEG), indicates a response to questions and commands even though there is no behavioral response (covert consciousness).
Accident victims who are in a minimally conscious state may exhibit the abilities to:
- Establish eye contact
- Purposefully grasp at objects
- Respond to commands in a stereotypic manner
- Answer with the same word.
How is a vegetative state/coma diagnosed in Ohio?
The diagnosis of a vegetative state is made based on observation, clinical criteria, and neuroimaging. Neuroimaging may help providers eliminate the possibility of treatable disorders. Neuroimaging includes MRIs and CT scans. Other diagnostic tests include:
- Magnetic resonance angiography
- Diffusion-weighted MRI
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Functional MRI
- Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used to assess cerebral function (rather than brain anatomy)
If the diagnosis of persistent vegetative state is in doubt, PET, SPECT, or functional MRI should be done. EEG is useful in assessing cortical dysfunction and identifying occult seizure activity.
What are the treatments for a vegetative state in Ohio?
The main course of treatment for Cleveland vegetative state victims is support care, which includes:
- Preventing complications due to immobilization such as UTIs, pneumonia, and thromboembolic disease)
- Providing good nutrition
- Preventing bedsores
- Providing physical therapy to prevent limb contractures
There generally aren’t specific treatments for accident victims who are in a vegetative state.
Decisions do need to be made about life-sustaining care that should involve social services, the hospital ethics committee, and family members. The medical providers must comply with advance directives.
Specific treatments generally are not used for victims in a minimally conscious state either. Some medications may help with neurologic responsiveness - for as long as the medications are continued. Some studies indicate that music therapy may help.
Prognosis
The prognosis for Cleveland accident victims who are in a vegetative state depends on the cause of their condition, their age, and other factors.
Recovery from a vegetative state “is unlikely after 1 month if brain damage is nontraumatic and after 12 months if brain damage is traumatic. Most patients who do recover are severely disabled. Few victims can communicate or comprehend. No victims regain normal function. This means that vegetative state victims normally require a lifetime of around-the-clock medical care.
If a vegetative state persists, most patients die within 6 months of the original brain damage due to UTIs, pulmonary infections, organ failure, and other causes.
Accident victims who are in a minimally conscious state tend to regain consciousness but to a limited degree. Prognosis may be better if the cause is a traumatic brain injury. Rarely, patients regain clear but limited awareness after years of coma.
Do you have a Cleveland persistent vegetative state lawyer near me?
By definition, accident victims in a vegetative state can’t move. We meet the victim’s family members and guardians at our offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Chagrin Falls, and Chesterland, Ohio. We also represent clients in Lexington, Kentucky. We also speak with family members and guardians by phone and through online conferences since we know you want to be with your loved one as much as possible.
We’re here to guide you through this very difficult time.
Get help by calling our experienced Cleveland persistent vegetative state lawyers now
It’s extremely hard to know how to help a loved one who is in a vegetative state. If they do survive, the cost of medical care will be quite expensive. Your loved one may lose their ability to enjoy life – for as long as they live. If your loved one dies, you should have the right to file a wrongful death action against the people responsible for the accident.
At Crandall & Pera Law, we work to hold the responsible parties accountable for all your loved one’s damages. Our team works with your doctors to understand all your loved one’s medical needs. Call us now or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation.