3 ms·
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-more-patients-could-survive-brain-injuries-if-life-support-not-switched-off https://www.sciencealert.com/study-more-patients-
by anonymouskimmer 2y ago
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-more-patients-could-survive-brain-injuries-if-life-support-not-switched-off https://www.sciencealert.com/study-more-patients-could-survi...
> Yet families are often asked to make the call within 72 hours of someone sustaining a severe brain injury. Unless patients make a rapid recovery in the first few days, it's thought they are unlikely to survive or recover much at all.
> The data Sanders and colleagues analyzed tentatively suggest otherwise.
> The data revealed that 31 of the 56 brain trauma patients who stayed on life support died within six months; and 45 percent survived. Of the 25 patients who survived, more than 30 percent recovered enough in that same six-month period to have at least some independence in daily activities.
> Just four patients recovered 'fully' to how they functioned before their injury.
- dralley 2y ago> some independence in daily activities "some" is doing a lot of work in this sentence. Recovering enough to have "at least some" independence after several months is not a great outcome. That very likely means lifelong daily care is required.
- anonymouskimmer 2y agoI know. That objection was brought up in the first article I read on this issue. Still, depending on the care required, it's pretty bad to imply that someone is better off dead. And 7% of the study subjects recovered completely.
- amanaplanacanal 2y agoThe idea of living long term, near death, while medical expenses slowly eat away the savings I would prefer to leave to my loved ones makes me very unhappy.
- anonymouskimmer 2y agoThe general idea here is to wait longer than 72 hours before making the decision.