Brain-dead girl; family won't let go

[jym626]

<p>Did anyone watch the press conference last night? He came across, IMO, poorly. Wore some sort of leather vest and came across as condescending and not very professional. JMO.</p>

[Flossy]

<p>Sevmom - I don’t think the lawyer is an idiot, I think he’s a stereotype. But, he knows what he is doing. Although, he may be underwater a bit right now. This is horrific.</p>

<p>He’s a biker.</p>

[vballmom]

<p>

“Jahi is at the facility,” Christopher Dolan said in a telephone interview. He wouldn’t disclose where Jahi was sent but did say the facility had stepped up to take the girl and the location not necessarily outside the state of California.</p>

<p>…</p>

<p>Dolan said procedures deemed necessary for a facility to take Jahi were not yet performed, including feeding and tracheotomy tubes, because other physical issues have arisen in the aftermath of her care at the hospital.

</p>

<p>[Jahi</a> McMath: Brain-dead girl moved to undisclosed care facility - Inside Bay Area](<a href=“http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24853880/jahi-mcmath-brain-dead-girl-moved-undisclosed-care]Jahi”>http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24853880/jahi-mcmath-brain-dead-girl-moved-undisclosed-care)</p>

[romanigypsyeyes]

<p>I am not a violent person, but I want to punch some sense into this lawyer. </p>

<p>It’s one thing to represent a family. It’s another thing to give an already low-information family (who trust important people) hope about their DEAD daughter! What a despicable thing to do. He knows she’s dead.</p>

[sevmom]

<p>Well, idiot may not be the best choice of terms . I’m sure he is not stupid if he graduated from Georgetown Law School but he certainly seems misguided in all this .
And yes, romani, I can’t believe for one minute that this guy thinks this girl is really alive. So, maybe he really is an idiot (or worse).</p>

[actingmt]

<p>Actually, I’m having trouble believing the family thinks she is still alive. Sorry.</p>

[jym626]

<p>The uncle’s twitter account says he is interested in “getting the dollars up”. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and HOPE that referred to the fundraising for the family and not the massive lawsuit to follow, though elsewhere he talked about a $30 million suit.</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>

I guess this is ghoulish, but what is still working for itself in Jahi’s body? I guess that with mechanical ventilation, her heart is beating on its own. But what about circadian rhythm? If they do insert a feeding tube, is her digestive system still working?

</p>

<p>I get great info from my nursing forum. According to those with far better credentials and experience than I, her pituitary gland is dead. It’s very likely that at least a portion of her small intestine and bowel are infarcted. I don’t even want to elaborate on what that means in terms of them initiating tube feedings. When the brain tissue is starved of oxygen until it dies, portions of it begin to collapse and turn to “mush,” then liquid. The portions which are structurally more resilient nevertheless atrophy (think Terri Schiavo’s brain as discovered upon autopsy). </p>

<p>I could go on, but it’s really just too gruesome. That’s why many medical professionals are so distressed, disgusted, and up in arms, and why they believe this to be highly unethical and incredibly creepy with regard to precedent.</p>

[Cardinal_Fang]

<p>The one thing I’m sympathetic to Dolan about is his dislike of the $250,000 cap on malpractice for a dead child. Does anyone here think that, if unmistakable malpractice resulted in the death of your child, $250K would be enough? It’s almost insulting. The malpractice limit should be ZERO if there is no malpractice, and something a lot bigger than $250K for egregious malpractice leading to the death of a child.</p>

<p>Obviously no money could replace a dead child. But $250K if a drunk anesthesiologist kills your kid, or something? You should get more than that.</p>

<p>We have no idea if there was any malpractice in Jahi’s case. But if there was, the parents deserve more than $250K.</p>

[Flossy]

<p>It’s bothersome to me that that is even a fleeting thought in the week after a death. Later, maybe.</p>

[zoosermom]

<p>Can anyone speak to whether the cap is total or per defendant?</p>

[vballmom]

<p>Nrdsb4 I’m just curious if the information you gave (“pituitary gland is dead”, etc) came from someone who had been in the PIUC with Jahi and observed this, or if it’s from experience with other brain-dead patients? It seems that there are very few cases of brain-dead patients being kept on a ventilator for nearly a month, so how is it known exactly which organs are breaking down and in what order?</p>

<p>Agree this is gruesome.</p>

[Sue22]

<p>Chris Dolan has called an 11:15 press conference.</p>

[Flossy]

<p>Yeah, can we stop blaming the press for this circus now? What we need here is some serious investigation. Local reporters are not doctors or lawyers. I do wish they would get beyond being parrots but it’s really not that easy.</p>

[jym626]

<p>If the NY Daily News can be considered reliable, they claim Jahi is at mom’s house [Jahi</a> McMath, brain-dead teen, released from Children’s Hospital Oakland into mother’s care   - NY Daily News](<a href=“Jahi McMath, brain-dead teen, released from Children's Hospital Oakland in 'bad shape'”>Jahi McMath, brain-dead teen, released from Children's Hospital Oakland in 'bad shape')</p>

<p>Onthat other forum, several healthcare professionals have linked descriptions of what happens to the brain after this degree of brain death. Dont know if those references are the same is as posted on the nursing forum reported by nrdsb4 .</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>

Nrdsb4 I’m just curious if the information you gave (“pituitary gland is dead”, etc) came from someone who had been in the PIUC with Jahi and observed this, or if it’s from experience with other brain-dead patients?

</p>

<p>It’s the latter, and from general knowledge of anatomy/phisiology/pathology.</p>

<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pituitary_gland.png[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pituitary_gland.png&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[bluebayou]

<p>

I do wish they would get beyond being parrots but it’s really not that easy.

</p>

<p>It would be a lot easier if the family would waive HIPPAA rules and allow the Stanford neurologist to release his full report…</p>

[sevmom]

<p>I doubt the release of the full report from the Stanford neurologist would tell us anything we don’t already know -that the Stanford guy came to the same conclusion as 4 other physicians did- that Jahi is unfortunately brain dead. Period.</p>

[jym626]

<p>Hmmm… call me a skeptic, but given that the atty and family said she was responding to her mom, moved when she heard her voice and had an “aura”, and has suddenly gone south, that, of course the atty had to now try to claim she was in “dire straits” at the time of transfer, so this of course can all be the hospital’s fault. Given his recent choice of words and the upcoming press conference, I would not be surprised if they are going to tell us she has “died” (again) or the family is going to disconnect the vent. At one point (cant find the clip) the mom said if she thought her dau was suffering she wouldnt let that go on (or words to that effect). And this lets them off the hook about finding placement for her, which has probably fallen through.</p>

[blueiguana]

<p>From CNN, the following is a quote from Allyson Scerri, founder of New Beginnings. Every time I think this case can’t get any more bizarre someone else opens their mouth and says something like this:</p>

<p>

“Her brain needs time to heal. It’s a new injury,” Scerri said. “We believe in life after injury. All of us here at New Beginnings have firsthand experience because we have a loved one that was in the same situation as Jahi.”

</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/06/health/jahi-mcmath-girl-brain-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t2[/url]”>http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/06/health/jahi-mcmath-girl-brain-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;