Locked‑In Syndrome

A patient who can think, hear, and see but cannot move any limb except the eyes is living with locked‑in syndrome (LIS). The condition is rare, almost always the result of an acute lesion in the ventral pons—most frequently a basilar‑artery stroke or a pontine haemorrhage. Because the reticular activating system and the vertical‑gaze nuclei are spared, consciousness, cognition, hearing and vision remain intact while all voluntary limb and facial muscles are paralysed. The nurse’s role is to recognise the striking clinical picture, secure the airway, establish a reliable communication method, and prevent the cascade of complications that follows profound immobility.