Purely speculative post incoming:
For my medically inclined sluthers, MD/RN/PA/DO/NP/
etc sluthies if you will. I’m struggling a bit with JOk’s autopsy and injuries.
Hypothetically, would someone with those injuries to his head be able to survive with swift medical intervention? Is it possible to get treatment for such head injuries? Could you prevent the brain stem herniation? What type of treatment exists for these blows to the head, if any?
I find medical evidence so fascinating but alas I work in tech and google only helps so much, lol.
*purely speculative and hypothetical
Hypothetically - yes. Skill fractures can be treated. As can traumatic brain injuries. Much would depend on immediate trauma scores, neurological assessment and findings of his particular injury or injuries to be given "odds" or a percent survival estimate. No two traumatic brain injuries will be the same. We have no idea what his findings would have been had he made it to an ER immediately though. Time is indeed a factor, especially with an evolving presentation (brain damage getting worse, but a fracture isn't going to get worse). I believe the ME said this wouldn't have been an immediate death (possibly hours IIRC). But seconds matter, and if someone had called 911 immediately and he was stabilized at a local ER then successfully transported to a trauma center for further care then I would think the survival odds certainly would not be 0% unless there was zero brain activity noted at intake. So even if it's a 1% chance of survival, it's still a chance.
Treatment possible - yes, but depends on these emergent and neurosurgeon assessments including trauma scores, brain function scores, & CT findings. At minimum. They'd be looking for abnormal central nervous system reflexes and findings, as well as deformation or damage of the brain on CT, EEG activity, and bleeds that can be treated. Not everything can be safely treated if risks far outweigh wait and monitor however.
Treatment options - again, based on findings, but surely there would be life saving efforts to stop a brain bleed, regulate blood pressure, prevent shock or perhaps induce a coma if he wasn't already there, alleviate intracranial pressure with a craniotomy if indicated and he was stable enough to endure and possibly survive the procedure. All assuming no other systems had started shutting down yet, he wasn't seizing or there weren't other secondary complications that had to be dealt with.
People have survived far worse injuries such as bullets tearing through a brain because of quick intervention. It would be hard to say he wouldn't have had a chance though with the information available.
And this also assuming he didn't have a "do not resuscitate" or advanced directive limiting treatment interventions in place.
MOO
whdh.com
