persistent vegetative state

noun

1. med an irreversible condition, resulting from brain damage, characterized by lack of consciousness, thought, and feeling, although reflex activities (such as breathing) continue PVS

Example Sentences

Now 39, her injuries have left her in a persistent vegetative state from which she will never recover, the court heard.

From BBC

"A lot of people are like, 'If I'm catastrophically critically ill, you can go ahead and take my organs. I don't need to be dead. If I'm in a persistent vegetative state, if I don't meet the criteria for brain death, but I've had an anoxic brain injury and I'm never going to wake up, I'm in a permanent coma, that's good enough. If you want to take my organs, go ahead."

From Salon

The health care system was developing tools to keep patients alive in a persistent vegetative state, raising difficult questions about when a family member could refuse death-prolonging treatment on their behalf.

From Slate

The accident left him in a coma for a brief time, then in a persistent vegetative state for several months.

From Seattle Times

Terry Wallis’ recovery occurred nearly two years before the death of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who had suffered extensive brain damage and fell into a persistent vegetative state when her heart stopped beating in 1990.

From Seattle Times