A vegetative person is unconscious; most patients are unable to hear speech, and a few can hear voices but are unable to carry out instructions.
A vegetative person, also called a vegetative state, is a state in which the cerebral hemispheres are severely damaged while the brainstem function is relatively preserved.
Although most patients seem to be able to maintain normal breathing, stable blood pressure, and slight movement of the eyeballs with the eyes closed, they are unable to make commands, respond to external stimuli, or recognize their surroundings and people because they have lost consciousness, cognition, and thinking.
These patients are usually unable to hear speech. The patient may have auditory signals coming into the brain, but is unable to analyze what he or she hears or carry out instructions. When such patients are stimulated with sound, nerve potential activity in the auditory conduction pathway can be detected by brainstem auditory evoked potentials.
Such patients should receive treatment as soon as possible under the guidance of a medical professional.