The Schiavo matter

The Schiavo case from a nurse's perspective, is outrageous. The matter should not be used for political purposes. This is strictly a family matter, a dysfunctional family that can't come to grips with the fact that their daughter is in fact, in a vegetative state. She feels nothing, perceives nothing, and only her brain stem is functioning. The parents need to stop thinking about themselves, and let her go with God. What purpose does it serve to keep her alive for their own gratification? She will not improve, will not miraculously get better, but will linger, in a limbo state between life and death. They cannot perform the self-less act of letting her go, they must greedily hang on to her. I am sure the loss of their daughter has been devastating, but now it is time to let her go. National polls support the opinion that she needs to be allowed to die with dignity. Is there dignity in being the latest news nationally and internationally? Is there dignity in being the pawn of the religious right and politicians seeking to garner personal gain? I think not.

A definition of permanent vegetative state, found in the August 2004, Volume 6, Number 8 AMA Journal,
Diagnosing The Permanent Vegetative State by Ronald Cranford, MD states the following:

"It is now well established in the literature and among clinicians with over 3 decades of experience in this condition that, for both children and adults in vegetative states secondary to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, the chance of any meaningful recovery beyond 3-6 months is negligible. In patients with traumatic brain injuries, the chances of meaningful recovery are practically nonexistent beyond one year. Reports of dramatic “miracle” recoveries surface in the lay press on a regular basis every few years, but these cases, when thoroughly investigated, have not substantially undermined the recovery period statistics given above.

A persistent vegetative state (commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as "brain-death") sometimes follows a coma. Individuals in such a state have lost their thinking abilities and awareness of their surroundings, but retain non-cognitive function and normal sleep patterns. Even though those in a persistent vegetative state lose their higher brain functions, other key functions such as breathing and circulation remain relatively intact. Spontaneous movements may occur, and the eyes may open in response to external stimuli. They may even occasionally grimace, cry, or laugh. Although individuals in a persistent vegetative state may appear somewhat normal, they do not speak and they are unable to respond to commands."

The key issue was aptly stated in the above article: "To the families and loved ones, and to inexperienced health care professionals, PVS patients often look fairly “normal.” Their eyes are open and moving about during the periods of wakefulness that alternate with periods of sleep; there may be spontaneous movements of the arms and legs, and at times these patients appear to smile, grimace, laugh, utter guttural sounds, groan and moan, and manifest other facial expressions and sounds that appear to reflect cognitive functions and emotions, especially in the eyes of the family."

One good thing has come from this, families and people of all ages are now discussing what they want to happen should they become seriously ill. That should be the legacy the Schiavo family stives for, helping other families learn to how to cope and let family members die with dignity, rather than what this has become. I fell very sorry for the family, sorry that their selfishness has not allowed them to see beyond their own personal needs.