Posted on 06/19/2005 6:04:50 PM PDT by wagglebee
Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in Medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.
Dr. Hammesfahr has been identified in helping patients with chronic brain injuries from many causes actually leave long term disability, and return to work.
Dr. Hammesfahr was identified the first physician to restore deficits caused by stroke.
Dr. Hammesfahr has released the following statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo:
We have seen a lot on the autopsy of Terri Schindler Schiavo in recent days, that I feel needs to be addressed. To ignore these comments will allow future 'Terri Schiavo's' to die needlessly after the wishes of clinicians and family are ignored.
Considering that there were so many physicians and therapists who were willing to step forward to treat Terri Schiavo, from university based practitioners to those in private practice, it clearly shows that the mainstream medical community across the board, those involved in treating patients, knew that they could help Terri.
The record must be set straight. As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making).
Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were "relatively preserved."
The purpose of the therapies offered by so many, from major universities, brain injury centers, and from private practice physicians, is to improve and restore quality of life, and function, which the mainstream medical community clearly tried to get to her.
I have had a chance to look at Dr. Nelson's analysis of the brain tissue, and essentially, as a clinician, these are my thoughts.
The autopsy results confirmed my opinion and Dr. Maxfield's opinions, that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact. To use Dr. Nelson's words, "relatively preserved." In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape. The Spect scan confirmed these areas were functional and not scar tissue, and that was apparently also confirmed on Dr. Nelson's review of the slides. Dr. Maxfield's estimates of retained brain weight were apparently accurate, although there may have been some loss of brain weight due to the last two weeks of dehydration.
Dr. Maxfield and myself both emphasized that she was a woman trapped in her body, similar to a child with cerebral palsy, and that was born out by the autopsy, showing greater injury in the motor and visual centers of the brain. Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality, and thus his assessment must represent sampling error. The videotapes clearly showed her seeing, and even Dr. Cranfoed, for the husband, commented to her that, when she could see the balloon, she could follow it with her eyes as per his request.
That she could not swallow was obviously not borne out by the reality that she was swallowing her saliva, about 1.5 liters per day of liquid, and the clinical swallowing tests done by Dr. Young and Dr. Carpenter. Thus, there appears to be some limitations to the clinical accuracy of an autopsy in evaluating function.
With respect to the issue of trauma, that certainly does not appear to be answered adequately. Some of the types of trauma that are suspected were not adequately evaluated in this assessment. Interestingly, both myself and at least one neurologist for the husband testified to the presence of neck injuries. The issue of a forensic evaluation for trauma, is highly specialized. Hence the wish of the family to have observers which was refused by the examiner.
Ultimately, based on the clinical evidence and the autopsy results, an aware woman was killed.
s/Dr. W. Hammesfahr
[Dr. Hammesfahr was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1999. The Nomination was for work started in 1994. In 2000, this work resulted in approval for the first patent in history granted for the treatment of neurological diseases including coma, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, hypoxic injuries and other neurovascular disorders with medications that restore blood flow to the brain. It was extended to treat successfully disabilities including ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette's and Autism as well as behaviorally and emotionally disturbed children, seizures and severe migraines.]
Um, you seem to be missing something. The court record is filled with testimony from doctors and nurses. But maybe they were all in on the conspiracy too. Sheesh.
And for lots and lots of money too, I'll bet!
Would you get a cut for a referral??
"Was he lying when he retracted that vow and claimed that Terri wanted to be tortured to death?"
That's new. Where / when did he say that?
"federal subpoena asking only for a de-novo review"
This is confusing. What on earth are you talking about?
They said it was not until later that they saw the bone scan - when it came up in court. They said they did not see it when it was taken and did not learn about it till it was discovered in court.
They have said repeatedly on television that they don't know why MS lies and said the doctors told him that Terri had a heart attack. They had to admit under oath they knew the doctors had said she'd had cardiac arrest, an entirely different thing.
Really searching the bottom of the barrel aren't we? Many people that are not doctors confuse the two. I myself did not know that cardiac arrest is not a type of heart attack.
Again it was a sham - the doctors were picked by Michael and Greer (pro euthanasia) and the Shindlers (pro Terri) - all had a pre conceived notion of what they were planning to find and say in the court room. No conspiracy - not even close, only people with agendas.
"I'm not understanding. You responded to a post about Dr Nelson."
Actually both doctors. You mentioned that Nelson indicated "In other words, you need a live brain for diagnosis, not a dead one."***
I asked if you pointed that out to Hammesfahr who is offering up his opinion here based on the autopsy and not on examination of a live person...a rhetorical question.
In sum, it's inconsistent to accept Nelson's premise that one needs a live person to render a PVS opinion, yet we have Hammesfahr rendering such an opinion based on the results of people who observed a deceased person.
(I'm not necessarily saying you are, just that there is inconsistencies in reasoning inherit in the thread about Hammesfahr.) ;-)
"It's another for some people on this thread, not you, to be absolutely uninformed and spreading what have become urban myths."
Nicely put. Seems that too often the efforts to seek an understanding of facts and the processes (legal) that took place become confused with peoples' "opinions/emotions" on life and death. When opinions become offered up as fact the discussion breaks down quickly.
This is not to say that there shouldn't be a discussion about the law and the right to life. There should be. If the law is poor, wrong, or bad it only makes sense to have a discussion about it... a reasonable discussion that doesn't give rise to name calling and inflammatory words like Hitler, murderer, death culture blah blah blah.
Just my HO. :-)
Wrong. But you don't want to hear the truth.
No. They had to admit in court they'd previously seen the bone scan. Even after saying on television they hadn't seen it. But don't let the facts get in the way of your agenda.
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but it sounds suspiciously like you've made a faulty conclusion (as I was saying) about where I stood on Terri Schiavo.
Everyone thinks they know the "facts" in this case - only problem is that there is ONLY ONE person who really knows the facts and that is Michael Schiavo.
BS. I am referring to documented records and testimony being rejected in favor of lurid gossip and hints of murder most foul.
ONLY ONE person who really knows the facts and that is Michael Schiavo...So when it comes down to the end it all is based on what you think of Michael Schiavo and if you believe him.
I present Exhibit A.
Speaking of ghouls...
I think Dr Nelson stated it factually so I didn't need anyone elses opinion. Thogmartin and Nelson seemed to try to make it clear that they couldn't confirm PVS or minimally concious despite what the press is saying.
Btw, cute post at 673. LOL!!
"The rejection of documented fact in favor of malicious gossip is another unfortunate path that has been chosen by far too many here."
Nice observation Cync. I would only add the false assumptions and "jumping to conclusions" that seem to be pervasive.
Simply pointing out that Greer ruled corrctly on a point of law, for example, seems to automatically puts one in the "people who support the murderer Michael" or "people who wanted Terri dead" mythical group...in the minds of some anyway.
"It really does not take a lot of conspirators to end up with the same results."
A family in economic need, a family wishing to extract vengence on another family member who has fallen out of favor, quack doctors seeing a forum to promote their snake oil, political/religious groups seeing a forum to be heard and increase their members-raise money, a chance for politicians to grandstand and get camera face time,
Doesn't take much depends on one's objectivity too.
I pray that you and the other posters here will be able to see that we are merely fighting for the status quo - the America we always have had.
For the zillionth time and as if the "other posters" disagree with that very premise or do not recognize the sanctity of life.
Good grief, the condescension and superiority complex is shining through...big time.
For one thing, Clancy wants to do away with living wills, which are the status quo. I don't think her claim is true at all, starting with her outrageous "There are no lies".
There are a couple of posters here to don't like living wills and don't care what they say. So much for self determination.
Their agenda is showing, big time, and it's turning people away from both the pro life movement and conservatives in droves.
"She was perfect."
Yet married that no good murdering son of bi** #$^)* Michael. Go figure.
Good point.
And, most people don't know this, but the jury awarded MS and Terri millions of dollars in the lawsuit against the doctors who hadn't diagnosed her low potassium levels and then they reduced the $$ because of Terri's responsibility in causing her cardiac arrest.
Can you provide a link to that court document.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.