Decisions about end-of-life care and participation in clinical trials of patients with disorders of consciousness begin with diagnostic discernment. Careful differentiation between brain states clarifies the ethical duties and responsibilities of physicians. Central to these efforts is the duty to provide neuropathic care to patients in a minimally conscious state who may be in pain, and to restore functional communication with neuroprosthetics, medication and rehabilitation to patients with intact but insufficiently activated neural networks. This article reviews efforts to bring scientific advances to patients with disorders of consciousness, including the investigational use of deep brain stimulation in minimally conscious patients.
Neuroethics and Disorders of Consciousness: Discerning Brain States in Clinical Practice and Research
15 December 2022