Schiavo autopsy shows husband was right

[gcdevil22]

LARGO, Florida (AP) -- An autopsy on Terri Schiavo backed her husband's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. It also found no evidence that she was strangled or otherwise abused.

But what caused her collapse 15 years earlier remained a mystery. The autopsy and post-mortem investigation found no proof that she had an eating disorder, as was suspected at the time, Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin said.

Autopsy results on the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman were made public Wednesday, more than two months after her death March 31 ended a right-to-die battle between her husband and parents that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House and divided the country.

She died from dehydration, Thogmartin said. He said she did not appear to have suffered a heart attack and there was no evidence that she was given harmful drugs or other substances prior to her death.

He said that after her feeding tube was removed, she would not have been able to eat or drink if she had been given food by mouth, as her parents' requested.

"Removal of her feeding tube would have resulted in her death whether she was fed or hydrated by mouth or not," Thogmartin told reporters.

He also said she was blind, because the "vision centers of her brain were dead," and that her brain was about half of its expected size when she died 13 days following the feeding tube's removal.

Michael Schiavo said his wife never would have wanted to be kept alive in what court-appointed doctors concluded was a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. The Schindlers, however, doubted she had any such end-of-life wishes and disputed that she was in a vegetative state.

The medical examiner's conclusions countered a videotape released by the Schindlers of Terri Schiavo in her hospice bed. The video showed Schiavo appearing to turn toward her mother's voice and smile, moaning and laughing. Her head moved up and down and she seemed to follow the progress of a brightly colored Mickey Mouse balloon.

They believed her condition could improve with therapy.

However, doctors said her reactions were automatic responses and not evidence of thought or consciousness, and Thogmartin's report went farther.

"The brain weighed 615 grams, roughly half of the expected weight of a human brain," he said. "This damage was irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons."

Thogmartin said the autopsy report was based on 274 external and internal body images, and an exhaustive review of Terri Schiavo's medical records, police reports and social services agency records.

He said hospital records of her 1990 collapse showed she had a diminished potassium level in her blood. But he said that did not prove she had an eating disorder, because the emergency treatment she received at the time could have affected the potassium level.

Testimony in a 1992 civil trial indicated that she probably was suffering from an eating disorder that led to a severe chemical imbalance.

Over the years, the Schindlers had sought independent investigation of their daughter's condition and what caused it. Abuse complaints to state social workers were ruled unfounded and the Pinellas state attorney's office did not turn up evidence of abuse.

Calls seeking comments Wednesday from the Schindlers and Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, were not immediately returned.

Speaking before the report was issued, Felos, said the Schindlers continue to engage in a "smear campaign against Michael to deflect the real issues in the case, which were Terri's wishes and her medical condition."

During the seven-year legal battle, federal and state courts repeatedly rejected extraordinary attempts at intervention by Florida lawmakers, Gov. Jeb Bush, Congress and President Bush on behalf of her parents.

Supporters of the Schindlers harshly criticized the courts. Many religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church, said the removal of sustenance violated fundamental religious tenets.

About 40 judges in six courts were involved in the case at one point or another. Six times, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene. As Schiavo's life ebbed away following the final removal of her feeding tube, Congress rushed through a bill to allow the federal courts to take up the case, and President Bush signed it March 21, but federal courts refused to step in.

[gcdevil22]

kinda looks like the whole theory about her being "aware" and "reacting" to the family's movements were false...in fact, she was blind and couldnt see them even if mentally able

good to know the right decision was made though, but it shouldve happened 15 years ago...she was said to have only 600 grams of her brain left...to compare, most alzheimer's(sp?) victims have 800-900 grams of their brain left

[imported_hhstigerfan]

I think what her parents were trying to do was very selfish. If they had her best intentions at heart, they would have just let her die. She was already brain dead, there was no sense in letting her linger on like that. Sometimes you just have to know when its over and time to let go...

Well only person i know who feels for him or those whom seem to prove themselves not guilty is gcdevil22.
Good thing he isn't a prosecutor.
He would be poor at that. But show him money and a good fight he can do that.
Sorry no matter who it upsets, him or others but it seems very true.
Kind of like his response on sports he never lost to a LPD team? You don't when your what 19 or so? Sorry dude but your one of the few from GC i could careless to say yes they have done it and have always done it.
And ya know. Not a person from GC can tell me different on the we don't holdback issue cause i know better. I know who does and who doesn't. We have some at Appy but not 18 or better. Sorry to piss a few but ya know ya ask for it. With your own im always right attitude. Well you know i know a lot to. Just don't tell it all. Sorry but true.
Like i said im glad your not a lawyer, you'd be very poor at it.
Cause half the truth you learned not to tell in H.S.
You put this in print yet, even those who did the autopsy give varying opinion as to was it her diet, or abuse from her husband.
Well think about it. He sure wanted her gone fast. After he was told you will recieve nothing if within this frame period.
A lot you didn't read there bub. Yet he still made money off her death. And i think it was him who told her she was well to fat?
But not the husband who stood by her through her life and death?
Ok. Time as i said to grow up there buddy. You live life behind the scenes. Time to face it in real life. Which you want. But you know you will some day. Hope you have some rich parents or support if not, oh well, life is gonna smack you hard. You have the attitude but lack the reality.

[gcdevil22]

so you're saying they shouldve kept her on the feeding tube?? regardless of how she got there, she wouldve been better off being off of it for the better part of the 15 years

dont really see how this is being nieve, there were no "back door deals" or anything of that nature, she needed to be taken off of that feeding tube because absolutely nothing could be done to bring her back...my whole opinion on this matter stems not from what happened to get her into this situation (although it was diagnosed that it was her diet) but rather it is right or not to make the decision to take her off the feeding tube...is it surprising to you that this is not a big headline on fox news?? not me, however, it they had proved that she couldve been helped fox news wouldve been all over it..."fair and balanced" HA!

youre really turning this into something it is not, go back and read ANY of my prior posts and you will realize all of my discussion were about the feeding tube and not about how she got there...if he was abusive, then yes, thats terrible...does it change the fact that she shouldve been taken off? no, not at all, she was as good as dead 15 years ago...you should really get off my back about this stuff...we have different opinions about the jackson case but that doesnt even really apply here

No im saying you talk a lot of [censored]. But that is it. You talk a lot of crap. Even those who did the autospy cannot say how she was in the coma to start with.
Give it up man. You can't argue that. It's a proven. Like i said and as i tell kids choose your fights. So i guess im tell you that at what 19 or 20?

[pvfan]

That poor woman should have been allowed to pass away years ago. She had no life at all, what kind of quality of life do you have when your biggest daily accomplishemnt for the last 15 years is raising your eyebrows and nodding? I feel sorry for that woman, she had to suffer way to long. I know if I was like that I wouldn't want my family going into debt over me when I had no chance of getting better.

[pvfan]

I will give you major props for calling out the GC holdbacks of entire classes though. LPDFTBL is coming out of his shell and once again voicing his opinion. Damn man I never thought you would give your opinions again. It's great to have you back..

It was all wrong. But at what point do you make the decision. That is the point.
We've had people be in coma's for years to wake up. In the same state as this woman. Yet nothing or a huge recovery.
Thing about it is. No one actually knows. One person spent 10 yrs in the same state yet awoke one day.
This woman well she didn't. Yet no one know why? Her diet or abuse? Doctors even claim there is no none reason for all the brains problems. Yet we have one who claims the doctors are right? How, when even the doctors cannot even say that is the only possibly reason.
Honestly im just tired of the im right screw you all when even medical evidence says we don't know.

[pvfan]

Noticed my JJ pot smoking avatar got removed but anyway, I dont really know the entire case but I dont feel the woman should lay and suffer like that. Sad situation for all that were involved in it.