EMERGENCY-Brain Injury Due to lack of oxygen

[vonnyboy]

My girlfriends mother has supposedly had (brain injury) due to loss of oxygen..
She had been shifted to the ICU about a week ago.. but she is on ventilator and the doctors have given up hope saying that she is not responding to any stimuli hence we have no hope ... they have closed the case as per records and suggested my girlfriends dad to go and consult other doctors if he wants.. but not to keep much hope!!

Is anything at all possible.. money is no constraint to the family members.They are willing to fly her to any country..do anything to save her??

IS there any physician who had handled Such CASES.. and been successful??????? IS THERE ANY HOPE AT ALL???

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there.  Brain damage to someone having suffered from hypoxic brain injury can be effective even before oxygen deprivation due to build up of toxins when the oxygen carrying blood slows to the brain. Fast action should be taken to help prevent brain damage. The primary goal of an intensivist is to restore oxygen to brain using methods like CPR, defibrillation, atropine and epinephrine. Vigilant damage control is essential to decrease the severity of cerebral hypoxia. Brain damage can be localized to the portion of brain affected and to the region, which sustained hypoxia. If brain damage is on the left side, deficiencies will often be related to speech and language. If brain damage is on the right side, deficiencies will often be related to emotion and interpretation. Some paralysis on the opposite side of the body can occur. Since the patient is not responding to any verbal or painful stimuli she is deeply comatosed and on respiratory support. A tracheotomy is required to cope up with the long-term requirement of ventilation and supportive therapy needs to be continued. Careful evaluation of systems is required avoiding any superimposed respiratory infection or renal failure or vasomotor paralysis. Your intensivist is the best guide. Take care.

[caregiver222]

They will undoubtedly pressure you to remove the endotracheal tube and get a trach to get her out of the ICU.

Basically, it takes at least ninety days for such a condition to stabilize and to make a decision as to brain death.

You need someone to be witth her at all times, if money if no object, and for someone to hold her wrist/hand, or place their hand on her shoulder at all times.

Obtain recordings of her family, put them on a recorder and get her comfortable earphones to hear the voices.

Every day have someone provide gentle massage (very gentle) up and down her arms for several minutes every hour or so. Also get an anti-bedsore air bed and have someone flex her limbs with range of motion exercises every day.

Regardless of what they say, if possible have her taken outside in a wheelchair in the sun for short periods of time.

Visit her every day and talk to her as much as possible. While you do so HOLD HER HAND. Skin contact to skin contact. If there is an aide do not let the aide sit across the room. Get a comfortable chair arranged so she can always be in view and able to maintain skin contact. Let the aide read of watch television, but always hold her hand, wrist or keep  hand on her shoulder.

Try to communicate with her by asking her to squeeze your hand with her thumb and forefinger. One squeeze for "yes". Another for "no". Often an allegedly brain-dead patient will retain the ability to move their fingers and understand instructions.

Do not assume she cannot understand everything said in the room, even if she cannot respond.

She will be in my prayers.