The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with a traumatic brain injury following a motor vehicle crash.The patient's Glasgow Coma Score is 3 and intermittently withdraws when painful stimuli are introduced.The patient is ventilator dependent and occasionally takes a spontaneous breath.The physician explains to the family that the patient has severe neurological impairment and he does not expect the patient to recover consciousness.The nurse recognizes that this patient is:

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A persistent vegetative state is a permanent,irreversible unconscious condition that demonstrates an absence of voluntary action or cognitive behavior,or an inability to communicate or interact purposefully with the environment.She is not brain dead,as occasionally she reacts to painful stimuli and takes a spontaneous breath; therefore,she cannot be an organ donor at this time.Treatment of her condition may be considered futile; however,she would not be defined as terminally ill.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient Admitted with a Traumatic