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persistent vegetative state

British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Ann Quinlan, a young woman in a persistent vegetative state, could be disconnected from her respirator.

From Washington Times Mar. 31, 2021

But she was in a persistent vegetative state.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 25, 2019

There's broad welcome for Monday's ruling making it easier to remove food and water from a patient in a persistent vegetative state.

From BBC Jul. 31, 2018

The case echoes the one of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was left in a persistent vegetative state after a cardiac arrest and was also the subject of a court battle.

From Seattle Times Jul. 3, 2017

She explores the cultural divide over the fate of Terri Schiavo, kept artificially alive for so long while in a persistent vegetative state.

From Slate Mar. 8, 2016

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