This process can remove all doubt as to sentience of the “vegetative” one vs’s no personality response at all. It will make it easier to make decisions such as “pull the plug”...though in a lot of cases, folks who have “weathered” the initial storm or needing vent support are often vent weaned to just trach/collar O2 support with suctioning as needed with the patient breathing on his/her own but still in a coma/ semi comatose state. (many times a trach isn’t even needed as some patients have enough autonomic ability to cough and swallow with little air way management needed though they’ll still be Gastric tube fed)
I am unfamiliar with all of these medical devices.
In this woman’s case, she collapsed suddenly, and CPR was administered to her for 40 minutes, before she regained a pulse.
Then she was taken to the ICU. I have no idea what machines were hooked up to her; but, she did not exhibit brain activity for 5 days. I don’t know if she needed a ventilator; but, I think she probably did, if there was no brain function.
And the brain function was what the discussion was about. Once they took her off whatever machine she was on, she died within minutes...so this wasn’t a case of a body able to breath without medical help, but only in need of somebody kind enough to ‘feed’ them.
I understand that doctors have to be blunt with patients and their families...and from the minute I heard about this 5 days ago, I was very worried that 40 minutes of cpr would be very bad for her brain...so I don’t doubt the doctors’ assessment that she was ‘brain dead’.
I am still astonished that 5 days seems to be the threshold they use. And I was amazed that it all happened in one day yesterday. In the early afternoon they had the discussion with the doctor about pulling the machines off...and at 6:30 pm, they did the deed. I would have pleaded for ‘just one more day’ after having the initial discussion.
Anyway, I hope my old classmate steers clear of this article, or he’ll have second thoughts for the rest of his life (or even more than he’ll already have).