A member of our family was in a permanent vegative state... slightly different... so not in a coma, but unable to communicate... move, fed or do anything...and was not attatched to a ventilator.. breathing by himself... but had a tube in his throat.. for any suctioning etc, and a permanent tube attatched to his stomach, for food, hydration, and medication etc, all of these tubes etc were changed at regular intervals by the medical staff. Hope that helps. ( sorry about my spelling it is Sunday! lol) :)