title: [Medical, juridical and ethical problems in permanent vegetative state].
abstract: Except in the United Kingdom, there are no epidemiological data on permanent vegetative state in Europe over the last 12 years. Transposing the British (and Japanese) data to Switzerland with a population of 7 million, an annual incidence of some 70 cases can be expected and a prevalence of about 200-350 cases. The ethics committees of a number of Anglo-American societies specialized in the field postulate the ending of life-sustaining measures if the diagnosis of permanent vegetative state is definitely established. The medical, legal and ethical grounds for such a postulate are summarized.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fahrländer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001926:Brain Death / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008020:Life Support Care; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
vernacular_title: Medizinische, rechtliche und ethische Probleme bei permanentem vegetativem Zustand.