<Tr> <Th> MeSH </Th> <Td> D018458 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a disorder of consciousness in which patients with severe brain damage are in a state of partial arousal rather than true awareness . After four weeks in a vegetative state (VS), the patient is classified as in a persistent vegetative state . This diagnosis is classified as a permanent vegetative state some months (3 in the US and 6 in the UK) after a non-traumatic brain injury or one year after a traumatic injury . Nowadays, more doctors and neuroscientists prefer to call the state of consciousness an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, primarily because of ethical questions about whether a patient can be called "vegetative" or not . </P> <P> There are several definitions that vary by technical versus layman's usage . There are different legal implications in different countries . </P>

What is another term for persistent vegetative state