Violent struggles for hope: can Heinz return from a coma?

In 2024, actor Heinz Höning was in a critical medical situation. During a stay in Berlin, he was in a coma before his first operation. Doctors had assessed his situation without a chance and a palliative team was consulted to support the family.

his partner, Annika Kärsten -Hoenig, has experience in the end of death, did not want to accept the negative forecasts of the doctors. She expressed that she had great respect for the palliative team, but did not want to believe in the upcoming end. Convinced that she would take Heinz home with her, she was opposed to the sad forecast and hoped for a positive turn.

background to waking coma and accompanying research

In the specialist literature, numerous research and publications can be found that deal with the topic of waking coma and the accompaniment of affected patients. For example, Agricola R (2011) discuss the challenges with which relatives are confronted with the challenges in his work "Want to live". Bienstein C and Fröhlich A (2004) also publish valuable approaches for the maintenance of Wachkommata in “Basal Stimulation in Care”.

Furthermore, the importance of pain sensation in the minimally unconscious state in a study by Boly M et al. (2008), which was published in the journal * Lancet Neurology *. The Federal Medical Association issues principles of medical death care that offer important orientation for those affected and their families.

research on awareness in vegetative conditions are of studies such as that of Owen am et al. (2006) that examines the recognition of consciousness in such conditions. The work of Zieger A also deals intensively with the topics of wax coma and care, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal relationships and the therapeutic approaches.