<p>This is an interesting case that’s related to the death of children - Belgium’s parliament is debating whether or not euthanasia should be allowed for terminally ill children who are in unbearable physical pain and request the right to die [BBC</a> News - Belgium divided on euthanasia for children](<a href=“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25651758]BBC”>Belgium divided on euthanasia for children - BBC News)</p>
<p>Personally, I’m uneasy with it, given a couple of cases that have happened with Belgian adults, but I can see the logic in it.</p>
I can see how this retired doc writing a prescription would be a problem, but I can’t imagine a state that has declared Jahi dead could portray dealing with her corpse as “practicing medicine”. </p>
<p>Money talks. If Michael Jackson could throw enough money at a physician to get him to service his drug addiction, it’s not surprising that some doc would be willing to subsidize his retirement by supporting Jahi’s family’s delusions.</p>
<p>The thing is Dolan says “doctors”. One kook sure, but a medical team? And now he is refusing to say whether she is at a facility or not. Put me down as skeptical.</p>
<p>At last check fundraising was hovering around 56K.</p>
<p>If they dragged her body to LA, I suspect that there there are no shortages of all sorts charlatans servicing the Hollywood clientele. Also, there are plenty of specialists in theatrical makeup… Can make a dead person look great.</p>
<p>MJ’s doc went to jail because his patient died. In this case, the patient is already dead, so it should be safe for a quack to practice all sorts of stuff without worrying about the consequences or malpractice.</p>
<p>I will be forever grateful for this man. He took my call in the middle of the night and listened to everything I had to say and decided to help me for FREE!!! There are not many lawyers in the world that would take a case where there is no money involved, but this man has a huge heart and I will always love him for what he has done for my family. I hear people questioning his ethics and it is ridiculous. This man did what no other lawyer would and I can’t thank him enough. Christopher B. Dolan you are my brother & my friend. Welcome to the family, but you were already family when agreed to help me that night</p>
<p>Perhaps her “stabilizing” condition means the deterioration of her body has slowed down and the attorney calls that improvement? I guess, from the family’s viewpoint, if they have managed to slow deterioration down that is improvement. The fact remains that brain dead is dead.</p>
<p>So hearts of brain dead people can continue to beat sometimes for years from what I have read. It seems that this situation is now stabilized and until the heart stops beating someone will continue to keep the ventilator plugged in and working. </p>
<p>This is what the mom wanted. Someone is apparently willing to foot the cost of the care.</p>
<p>How much does a ventilator cost, just out of curiosity? I mean, I doubt they have them at my local Home Depot. I would think they are complicated pieces of equipment, but what do I know.</p>
<p>Sax, it can go on for weeks only if some other stuff is done in addition to mechanical ventilation. This fresh off the press NYTimes article explains what happens after brain death and how testing is done. A pretty good read:</p>
<p>[Brain</a> death and uncooperative families](<a href=“http://www.ccm-l.org/discussion1/Ethics/uncoop.html]Brain”>Welcome ccm-l.org - Justhost.com) is an absolutely wonderful discussion of precisely the issues faced in this case. If only the doctors who participated in the discussion could have seen into the future . . . they stated repeatedly that there could be no legal repercussions for removing a ventilator from a dead person. If only they knew . . .</p>
<p>My favorite quote regarding disconnection of the ventilator:</p>
<p>We never disconnect but tell the family that “nature will take it’s course” and then add a 60ml dead space into the circuit.</p>
<p>He goes on to acknowledge that it’s dishonest, but nonetheless the most practical way to deal with this kind of situation.</p>
<p>“We never disconnect but tell the family that “nature will take it’s course” and then add a 60ml dead space into the circuit.”</p>
<p>^^^ I read that too, and I thought that was far, far more unethical than all the discussions about operating on a dead person, etc. In fact, I really think there is no excuse for any doctor to behave in that manner.</p>
<p>I didn’t like the doctor admiring his own skills at being manipulative and charming either. This is precisely the type stuff that makes people lose trust and question the veracity of what they are being told.</p>
<p>Even if the person is brain dead I think that crosses the line. Remember the saying ‘all I needed I learned I kindergarten’? If you wouldn’t tell your grandmother, probably a bad idea. If you get a bad feeling about something, hesitate, have to check ethical guidelines, it’s probably not a good idea. If you won’t tell someone the truth about what you’re about to do, not a good idea. It strikes me as devious, underhanded, and cowardly.</p>
<p>If the doctor lies to the family about the ventilator, what else is he lying about?</p>
<p>Definitely crosses the line.</p>
<p>But it does not cross the line to keep the body on the ventilator, but not give it any drugs. Jahi’s body has been given vasopressin since she died, to keep up her blood pressure. I see no reason why a doctor can’t continue the ventilator for a day or two without any drugs-- and the heart would stop fairly soon, I understand.</p>
<p>The approach of moving the ventilated dead person to a bed outside of the ICU without any additional heroics while letting natire take its course seems more ethical than slipping 60 mL of dead space. I wonder why CHO docs decided to keep administering all hat stuff to the girl’s body after it had became obvious she had died. Organ donation? IMO, if the family is not willing to accept the fact that their loved one died, they will be very, very reluctant to sign organ donation consent.</p>
<p>Holy criminy, jym. A 77% death/permanent neurological injury rate after this kind of surgery. I cannot imagine signing an informed consent document that had stats like that unless the choice was that or immediate and highly likely death.</p>
<p>To clarify, I was speaking to ‘slipping dead space in the circuit’. I think when a family is reluctant to withdrawal mechanical support moving the body to another room with the ventilator only, letting nature take it’s course in a few days, is reasonable standard of care.</p>
[Death</a> or Neurologic Injury After Tonsillectomy … [Anesth Analg. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI](<a href=“