Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Neurol Clin. 2011 Nov;29(4):1055-71. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2011.07.007.
The medical care of patients in disordered states of consciousness, including vegetative and minimally conscious states, raises some of the most intricate ethical questions in medicine. There is inherent ambiguity and uncertainty involved in diagnosing such patients and evaluating their level of awareness and prognosis for recovery. The care of these patients requires the weighing of competing ethical values, including respect for personal autonomy, protection of vulnerable patients, nonmaleficence, and the just use of limited medical resources. We highlight some of the major ethical issues in caring for patients with severe brain injury.
意识障碍患者（包括植物状态和最小意识状态患者）的医疗护理引发了医学领域中一些最复杂的伦理问题。诊断这些患者并评估其意识水平和康复预后存在固有模糊性和不确定性。这些患者的护理需要权衡相互竞争的伦理价值观，包括尊重个人自主权、保护弱势患者、不伤害和合理利用有限的医疗资源。我们强调了严重脑损伤患者护理中的一些主要伦理问题。
