Woman's Sustaining Care Resumed

But Experts Say No Hope Exists For Her Recovery

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 23, 2003; Page A03

Life support for Terri Schiavo was resumed yesterday in a Florida hospital room, but many experts said there is virtually no hope that she will ever recover, despite her parents' desperate hopes.

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KEY QUOTES:

"A persistent vegetative state is a condition in which a person who has experienced brain damage has no awareness of their environment. Because the more primitive parts of the brain continue to function, patients still cycle between sleep and wakefulness; their eyes open; and they can have reactions, such as facial expressions and responses to noise and movement, that appear as if they have some consciousness."

"But unlike a coma, from which a person can in rare cases emerge, if a persistent vegetative state does not give way to recovery after three months, the chances it ever will are extremely small. If the condition continues for more than a year, the chances are virtually zero, several experts said yesterday."

"There has never been a documented case of someone recovering after having been in a persistent vegetative state for more than three months. Every three to five years, there's a case reported of a person who supposedly recovered, but it never turns out to be true."

"Schiavo's parents have cited the fact that their daughter appears to look at them and respond to their presence. But Cranford said it was clear from tests that Schiavo has suffered too much brain damage for that to be the case."

"The CAT scan shows massive atrophy of the brain. It shows there's been significant shrinkage of the entire brain. What Terri Schiavo manifests is a classic vegetative state. It looks like she's looking at you, but really she's not. It looks like she's grinning at you, but she's really not. You can believe what you want and see what you want, but it's just not there."

"Cranford said that Schiavo could survive another five to 10 years if she continues to receive fluids and nourishment, but the point is she'll never regain consciousness or improve from her condition."