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The Ethics of Managing Disorders of Consciousness

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Coma and Disorders of Consciousness

Abstract

The ethical issues accrued from the study and management of severely brain-injured patients are varied and multi-faceted. The medical, legal and public controversies are partly shaped by how different people think about these issues and in many cases are culturally-dependent. An ethical framework needs to be shaped to guide clinicians and caregivers in terms of clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and medical management. In this chapter, we will give a brief overview of some ethical issues related to the concept of consciousness and the medical management of patients with disorders of consciousness such as comatose, vegetative/unresponsive and minimally conscious states that may be encountered in the intensive care setting. We will emphasize the problem of pain management and end-of-life decision-making.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août, Sart Tilman B30, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Athena Demertzi M.Sc., Olivia Gosseries M.Sc., Marie-Aurélie Bruno Ph.D., Caroline Schnakers Ph.D., Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse Ph.D., Camille Chatelle M.Sc., Vanessa Charland-Verville M.Sc., Aurore Thibaut M.Sc., Marie Thonnard M.Sc. & Steven Laureys M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Neurology, CHU University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium

    Athena Demertzi M.Sc., Olivia Gosseries M.Sc., Marie-Aurélie Bruno Ph.D., Caroline Schnakers Ph.D., Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse Ph.D., Camille Chatelle M.Sc., Vanessa Charland-Verville M.Sc., Aurore Thibaut M.Sc., Marie Thonnard M.Sc. & Steven Laureys M.D., Ph.D.

  3. National Fund for Scientific Research, Liège, Belgium

    Olivia Gosseries M.Sc.

Authors
  1. Athena Demertzi M.Sc.
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  2. Olivia Gosseries M.Sc.
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  3. Marie-Aurélie Bruno Ph.D.
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  4. Caroline Schnakers Ph.D.
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  5. Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse Ph.D.
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  6. Camille Chatelle M.Sc.
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  7. Vanessa Charland-Verville M.Sc.
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  8. Aurore Thibaut M.Sc.
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  9. Marie Thonnard M.Sc.
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  10. Steven Laureys M.D., Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Athena Demertzi M.Sc. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Cyclotron Research Centre, University of Liège, Allée du 6 août 8, Liège, B-4000, Belgium

    Caroline Schnakers

  2. , Cyclotron Research Centre, University of Liège, Allée du 6 août 8, Liège, 4000, Belgium

    Steven Laureys

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag London

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Demertzi, A. et al. (2012). The Ethics of Managing Disorders of Consciousness. In: Schnakers, C., Laureys, S. (eds) Coma and Disorders of Consciousness. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2440-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2440-5_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2439-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2440-5

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