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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Family members of 13-year-old Jahi McMath are holding out hope for a miracle recovery after a routine procedure has left the girl brain dead. Last week, McMath went in to Children’s Hospital Oakland to get her tonsils removed.
She was supposed to go home the next day, but her grandmother noticed severely bleeding from her nose and mouth after the procedure. She soon went into cardiac arrest.
Terrible news. Unfortunately no matter how routine any surgery is a serious medical procedure. Unless it is the only option people should make surgery a bottoms option not first. It just has become so routine that we don't think about that way. Don't get me wrong if I had a torn ACL or problem which surgery was the best option I would do it. But sometimes things go wrong. This case in particular has gotten complicating now. The longer they have her on life support the less of the chance an autopsy will be able to determine what went wrong. Of course I understand the parents decision, what a horrible thing to have to think of.
The girl does look a bit overweight wonder if that could have played into it? Still at 13 years old it is fairly shocking to hear about.
Very sad. I was sorry to hear of the 'rush' to pull the plug. I don't see how some time will harm things, considering. I hope for a miracle for them. It's that time of year.....
Completely needless surgery and see how it went. People should only have surgery when there's an extreme need for that.
Without knowing the reason for the surgery, how can you say it was "completely needless"?
My older son had his tonsils out because his throat was growing strept while he was on penicillin. One evening, long after the surgery, we were eating dinner when he piped up and said, "You know, I can really swallow easier now that my tonsils are gone."
Doctors these days tend to not take tonsils out unless there is a clear indication to do it.
There are also indications for removing life support. It is not something done on a whim. The Mom is hoping for a miracle that is not going to happen, while the patient can be kept alive indefinitely. If it were your child, would you want to do that to her?
Without knowing the reason for the surgery, how can you say it was "completely needless"?
My older son had his tonsils out because his throat was growing strept while he was on penicillin. One evening, long after the surgery, we were eating dinner when he piped up and said, "You know, I can really swallow easier now that my tonsils are gone."
Doctors these days tend to not take tonsils out unless there is a clear indication to do it.
There are also indications for removing life support. It is not something done on a whim. The Mom is hoping for a miracle that is not going to happen, while the patient can be kept alive indefinitely. If it were your child, would you want to do that to her?
The problem with keeping her alive if there is no indication she can survive is what went wrong may heal itself. Her body is still alive so it will still heal problems.
According to her uncle, "Her uncle, Omari Sealey, told CNN on Monday that doctors had recommended the tonsillectomy to treat Jahi’s sleep apnea, weight gain, inability to concentrate and other afflictions."
Seems like she had some problems. Did not know tonsils could cause all those problems though. Like I said earlier she did seem pretty overweight. Would not be surprised if that had something to do with the complications. Surgery and people who are very overweight is not routine.
Without knowing the reason for the surgery, how can you say it was "completely needless"?
My older son had his tonsils out because his throat was growing strept while he was on penicillin. One evening, long after the surgery, we were eating dinner when he piped up and said, "You know, I can really swallow easier now that my tonsils are gone."
Doctors these days tend to not take tonsils out unless there is a clear indication to do it.
There are also indications for removing life support. It is not something done on a whim. The Mom is hoping for a miracle that is not going to happen, while the patient can be kept alive indefinitely. If it were your child, would you want to do that to her?
While it is tragic....it just goes to show that any surgery is not to be taken lightly.
I think a reasonable thing for the parents to do is delay any decision on terminating life support...until a 2nd opinion has been given.
It wasnt a simple tonsillectomy. According to the hospital, she had a complex surgery, with several procedures done to alleviate her sleep apnea.
I feel very bad for the family but they've spread much mis-information about this case (such as calling it a routine tonsillectomy) and have refused to allow the hospital to release some its own information about exactly what was done and what happened. And no one will know the full truth until an autopsy can be done, which, of course, the family wont allow (yet).
I wish that people would stop referring to how the machines are keeping her alive and how she'll die when the breathing tube is removed. She's not alive and she cant die because, sadly, she's already dead.
Edited to add that, according to CNN, Jahi's surgery included removal of "tonsils. adenoids and extra sinus tissue, which doctors thought were causing sleep apnea. She suffered complications from the procedure, which experts have told CNN is commonly done, but not routine."
And, from NBCPhiladelphia: "Jahi underwent three surgeries at once on Dec. 9: An adenotonsillectomy; a uvulopalatopharyngloplasty, or UPPP, which is tissue removal in the throat; and submucous resection of bilateral inferior turbinates, which is nasal obstruction."
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