Posted on 03/21/2005 12:23:45 AM PST by ambrose
Life support battle winds down, patient transferred to San Antonio hospital
06:37 PM CST on Sunday, March 20, 2005
By Amy Tortolani / 11 News
A man who had been on a respirator at St. Luke's Hospital arrived at a new facility Sunday in San Antonio. While the life support battle appears to be winding down, this situation could eventually involve lawmakers.
Watching the ambulance pull away from St. Luke's Hospital with Spiro Nikolouzos in it was not only a victory for his family, but another chance at life.
"I am so happy that this happened that he is out of here," said Janette Nikolouzos, patient's wife.
Spiro Nikolouzos has been an invalid since 2001 and complications last month left him unable to breathe on his own.
St. Luke' Hospital had planned to take the 68-year-old man off life support.
"This has never been an issue about St. Luke's or anyone that works at St. Luke's wanting to take this man off life support," said Dr. David Pate, St. Luke's. "It's been about what's best for him and should we be forced to continue providing care to someone that we think is futile and we think may be hurting them and ultimately, will make no impact on the quality of life."
Mrs. Nikolouzos fought to keep her husband alive and took St. Luke's to court.
After many extensions and stays, but before a final decision was ever reached, the family found a facility in San Antonio to care for their loved one.
"Free at last free at last. You didn't get to kill him," said Janette Nikolouzos.
But it's not the end of this life support case. Mrs. Nikolouzos is ready to take on Texas lawmakers who have given hospitals the right to remove patients from life support after giving 10 days notice, unless there is clear evidence another facility can provide care.
"They are out of control to make a law like this, it's shameful," said Janette Nikolouzos. "The way I feel for them giving so much power to the doctors and the hospitals they should bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich. It's disgraceful for this state.
Family members said while they won this battle, they admit the father and husband they knew will never fully recover. But at least now, they say, there's a chance.
There is supposed to be another court hearing on Wednesday, but the family's attorney said there is a conference call scheduled with the judge Monday.
It's an entirely different case raising different issues. That's why we are paid the big bucks, to draw such distinctions, and keep at bay the notion that doing anything leads to doing everything. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this one.
There's the family's problem in a nutshell. If the man had been placed in a Catholic hospital there may not have been a battle.
My father spent the last few weeks of his life in a Catholic hospital before succumbing to a terminal disease. Everyone involved knew his condition was irreversibly terminal, but he was allowed to die naturally in God's own good time without any pressure from doctors or hospital administration to stop life sustaining treatment. He lived no longer or no less time than God intended him to live.
I'm not Catholic, but I greatly respect and appreciate the RCC's position on the sanctity of human life.
You do agree that this law has to go, don't you?
Not sure what you are referring to, but Bush didn't sign this bill into law -- he signed a revision in 1999 to the then existing law which already had this provision in it. The revision did not include this obnoxious provision.
In Texas, food and hydration is "life-sustaining treatment." The law needs to be changed. Agreed?
So that's how it is. What does one have to say to be put on the death squad list? Is that intolerance I smell or immaturity?
I don't tolerate the culture of death well, no. Abortion is bad, the Holocaust is nasty, and the events chronicled in the Black Book of Communism put me right out.
I get tired of coming on to these threads and seeing the phrase "death squad" tossed around. Especially on a case like this where there are so many levels and enough people with valid opinions. And with regards to abortion.....I wonder what miracles we could do if we all got behind it like we have this one woman. After all, while all eyes have been turned to the Schiavo case a few thousand babies were killed today.
Food and "hydration" seem life sustaining.
Have just a bit of trouble with "treatment", though.
Don't know what law they are a part of, but it looks as if some fixing might be in order.
Its stopping a machine intervention to keep this man breathing which probably should have never been started in the first place...
this is not food...its not water...its a MACHINE ....
why does this family want their supposedly beloved on a machine for the rest of his life????....is it his pension....is it his social security?....
it can't be love....it can't be respect or caring....
its one thing to stop tube feedings but an entirely differant thing to stop a breathing machine...one can be argued that is is "ordinary" care, while the breathing machine is extra ordinary ....
this guy is on Medicare.....so that means I am paying every week so his family can visit a body with a tube in his trachea....
I would rather pay for vacinations for little children, or perhaps flu shots for every American free of charge....
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