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Man trapped in coma for 23 years was fully concious
by Natalie James - November 24, 2009 - comments
Laureys said finding that Houbens was fully conscious was a big win for the whole team
Los Angeles, CA, November 24 -- A paralyzed Belgian man who was misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state for 23 years now says he was fully conscious and was aware of what was going on around him, according to multiple tabloid reports.
The man, Rom Houbens, was left paralyzed after a car crash in 1983. The doctors had then assumed the accident had also put Houbens, then an engineering student and martial arts enthusiast, in a vegetative state- awake but not conscious of his surroundings.
Houbens’ mind unlocked
After 23 years of silence, the 46-year-old can finally communicate, thanks to a neurologist's persistent research that found Houbens’ cerebral cortex was still active.
Using the latest brain scanning techniques, Dr. Steven Laureys, a neurological researcher at the Liège University Hospital, discovered that Houbens was trapped in his paralyzed body, was fully conscious and could hear everything around him the entire time but was unable to tell anyone or even cry out.
The research published Monday in the latest issue of the German magazine Der Spiegel shows that the comma trapped man started communicating via a computer and specially built keyboard.
Houbens breaks silence
Using the technology, Houbens finally managed to break his agonizing years of silence. He now communicates with one finger and a special touchscreen on his wheelchair.
Communicating via specialized techs, Houbens said about the day doctors made the correct diagnosis: “I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was truly wrong with me — it was my second birth.”
The car-crash victim also recalled the aftermath of the accident that left him paralyzed and the realization that no one understood that he could hear everyone’s conversation with him.
“I screamed, but there was nothing to hear,” he said.
Laureys said that finding out Houbens was fully conscious was a big win for the whole team. “It was one of those rare moments where you really see that what you are doing is useful,” he said.
“It was a very big moment not just for me but for the whole team, one of those few much-needed moments” for the doctors, he added.
Misdiagnosis causes grave consequences
According to Laureys, as many as 4 out of 10 similar patients may have been misdiagnosed.
He said: "Differentiating the vegetative from the minimally conscious state is often one of the most challenging tasks facing clinicians involved in the care of patients with disorders of consciousness.
"Misdiagnosis can lead to grave consequences, especially in end-of-life decision-making."