ANOXIC BRAIN INJURY

[michael164]

ANOXIC BRAIN INJURY (DUE TO LACK OF OXYGEN)
My wife had a heart failure on Dec.3rd.She lost oxygen for 10 to 12 minutes in her brain. Now she is in coma. She was admiited to  Kaplan hospital in Israel. She has not come out of coma. Neurologist are not very hopeful of her recovery. They say her brain is damaged due to lack of oxygen. His diagnosis is anoxic brain injury. She has some reflexes her brain stem is OK, Her heart rate, blood pressure and breathing is stabilized. She does not respond. She opens her eyes but does not have any cognitive functions.  
I would like to know what types of treatment are available for anoxic brain injury?. Is there any chance of recovery?  We all are very worried and anxious. I have some hope.She is only 43 years old and never smoked or drank,maybe this will be to her advantage?

[Anisha04]

My uncle also have same situation lyk yours...if u cud plzz update abut her present situation

[sgriffin1944]

My brother, 59 yrs old, suffered a heart attack right after excerising 3 wks ago and his brain went without oxygen between 5-10 minutes. From the ER, they took him to a hospital that provided him with hypothemia therapy where his body was brought down to about 85 degrees. He has survived the heart attack and all of his vitals are very good. Our concern is how long his brain recovery may take. He is receiving therapy, walking, motor skills coordination activities, speech therapy and he appears to be doing remarkedly well although he is sometimes confused and a little agitated.
What can we do for him after his rehab therapy is completed? Is there a hospital for outpatient treatment you would recommend in upstate NY? Is there anything the family can do to help him recover? We do not expect him to be the same person he was before the heart attack and that is okay. We just want to ensure that he will have some significant quality of life going forward and would like all of the professional guidance you and your team of experts might recommend.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. I completely understand your position and mental state. Recovering from anoxic brain damage is difficult and depends on many factors like amount and kind of brain damage, anoxic brain injury can be mild, moderate, or severe. The length of time spent unconscious or in coma, coupled with how much normal function is recovered within the first month of the injury can indicate the chance of long term recovery. If severe anoxic injury, the patient may remain in coma with minimal recovery chances. Moderate anoxic brain injury have better outcome, taking months or years to recover. Mild anoxic injury make near full recovery. The cause of injury needs to be treated first, if heart arrhythmia is the cause, regularize and stabilize the heart’s rhythm. Stopping further brain damage and restore normal oxygen availability to the brain.  The patient is kept cool to reduce further brain damage, steroids to reduce brain swelling.
You must be prepared for possibility of brain death or no brain activity. The longer a person remains unconscious the greater the chance of brain death. The medical team should keep you apprised of what exactly is going on. Take care