NURSES! If a patient is in a PVS, will the kidneys shut down? other organs? heart?
I know Karen Quinlan lived 10+ years like that (pneumonia), Terri Shavio also.............is that rare or can
you keep a body living forever now with all the machines like dialysis?
found my answer (maybe)
If a vegetative state persists, most patients die within 6 mo of the original brain damage. The cause is usually pulmonary infection, UTI, or multiple organ failure, or death may be sudden and of unknown cause. For most of the rest, life expectancy is about 2 to 5 yr; only about 25% of patients live > 5 yr. A few patients live for decades.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/profess...tive_state_and_minimally_conscious_state.html
Schiavo wasn't brain dead. Her lower brain was functioning. She didn't need life support except the feeding tube She could have stayed a long time in that state if her feeding tube wasn't removed. Her body was obviously pretty healthy, even after her feeding tube was removed, it took 13 days for her heart to stop. But even brain dead people can last a while (years) on life support. Jahi McMath is still on life support. Sounds like BB is expecting miracles, so this reminds me of Jahi McMath's situation, because they also claim they are waiting for Jahi to wake up despite her being declared brain dead.