Paralyzed But Conscious For 23 Years

Three years ago, a Belgian man who had been assumed to be in a coma since 1983 was found to be completely paralyzed, but completely conscious. Entirely unable to communicate, Rom Houben, 46, was believed to be in a persistent vegetative state until examination using (unspecified) "a state-of-the-art scanning system" as part of a larger study of coma patients revealed that his brain was functioning normally. Since then, he has been able, through intense physical therapy, been able to regain a modicum of control, and can now speak via typing with one finger on a computer keyboard.

This admittedly staggering news story brings with it a degree of sensationalism. To American minds, it is most strongly reminiscent of the national imbroglio that was the Terri Schiavo case, which culminated in 2005 with her removal from life support. Indeed, the neurologist who discovered Houben's brain activity, Steven Laureys, acted as an adviser for that case.

Had Houben, like Schiavo, been removed from life support, his doctors would have unknowingly murdered him. This is especially chilling when one considers Laureys's assertion that misdiagnosis occurs in coma cases "on a disturbingly regular basis."

Yet Houben's family had taken him to the United States for reexamination five times; not until twenty three years into his "coma" was his consciousness able to be diagnosed. Were he removed from life support several years before this discovery came about, it would be tragic, yes, but not retroactively unethical. The curse of medical technology is that each advance brings with it the burden of hindsight; had we been able to transplant a particular organ a year before, Patient X may not have died on the table. What we now know casts a new light on cases of the past, but does not and cannot revise them. We cannot fault those who pulled the plugs for not knowing what they could not have known.

Relevant sites:
"Trapped In His Body For 23 Years" - The Guardian UK