Neuropsychological assessment after extremely severe head injury in a case of life or death

Abstract

A systematic neuropsychological assessment technique is described for use with severely physically disabled people who maybe severely brain damaged, in an incomplete locked in state or potentially in vegetative state. The technique allows opinions regarding cognitive state to be statistically based. In the case described, the weight of expert opinion had been that involuntary feeding by gastrostomy tube should be terminated because the patient was functioning at a level little beyond the vegetative state, her quality of life was poor and she was unable to form a view about her present or future circumstances. An assessment approach is described which uses binomial statistics and allows for some variability in responding. Methods of minimizing sources of extraneous bias are also discussed. By use of this technique it was demonstrated that the patient was sentient though impaired, and that her own wish at the time of the assessment was to continue living. It is recommended that neuropsycholgical assessment of this kind should take place in all cases in which withdrawal of treatment is being considered and cognitive ability is not certain.