S.A. hospital won't cut off man's life support

An agreement was reached Friday that ended a standoff between the family of an East Texas man and a local hospital that planned to remove him from life support.

Spiro Nikolouzos, critically ill and in a persistent vegetative state, will be returned to Avalon Place, a long-term care facility that came to his aid after a Houston hospital also decided to end life support.

Nikolouzos was transferred from Avalon to Southeast Baptist Hospital at the end of March after he fell ill with pneumonia. While there, his feeding tube was removed after complications developed.

Nikolouzos' wife and son met Friday with top officials of Southeast Baptist and Avalon. Because Avalon has said it would accept Nikolouzos back into its unit for ventilator-dependent patients, the hospital agreed to treat him until he can be moved, said his wife, Jeannette.

While the move could take place early next week, if it hasn't happened by Tuesday — the day doctors are legally allowed to stop life support — the hospital has agreed to continue care, his wife said.

The flexibility will allow Avalon to prepare to receive Nikolouzos, who can't breathe or eat on his own. Currently, he's being fed intravenously and is suffering from a blood infection.

"Many thanks to Avalon Place — I can't say enough kind words about those people. They deserve a Congressional Medal of Honor for saving Spiro's life," his wife said.

Citing patient confidentiality laws, Baptist Health System officials have declined to comment on the specifics of the case. But Dr. Herman Williams, the system's chief medical officer, said Friday's meeting was positive.

"Together, we were able to strike a balance between our commitment to preserving a patient's dignity, our compassion for families in difficult situations and this family's particular needs," he said.

Nikolouzos' wife said she was pleased with the overall hospital response, but she blamed the Texas law signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush for the process allowing doctors and ethics committees at both hospitals to make such critical decisions.

Experts in end-of-life care generally have praised the state's Advanced Medical Directives Act as progressive since it gives family members 10 days to find an alternate facility if they disagree with a hospital ethics' board decision.

Nikolouzos incurred severe brain damage in a motor vehicle accident more than a decade ago.

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As bad as Florida is, I think Texas is even worse. The only reason this man is being allowed to live, is because the hospital administrators agreed to let him live. The patient's wishes are not even part of the decision process. He's not able to speak for himself, and his family has no say in the matter. It's all up to the "ethics" panel at the hospital.

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