Brain Dead Child Discharged to Home With Parents

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Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.

Brain Dead Child Released From Hospital

LAST UPDATE: 10/15/2004 7:02:38 PM

Salt Lake Tribune

A 6 year old brain-dead boy legally ordered to be kept on life support has left a hospital and is in hospice care in his parents' custody.

Doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center had pronounced Jesse Koochin, a cancer patient, brain-dead this week and wanted to remove life support.

However, Jesse's parents, Steve and Gayle Koochin, insist their youngest child is alive and believe they can bring him back to good health with alternative medicine. They sought and received a temporary restraining order Wednesday to keep a ventilator on their son.

Third District Judge Sheila McCleve signed the order prohibiting the hospital from removing Jesse from a ventilator "except at the direction of the court."

The judge also ordered the boy be released to his parents' care.

A hearing on Oct. 27 will determine whether the temporary restraining order remains in place.

Thought I would post this news item. I sure do feel for those parents. It has to be the most horrible thing in the world to lose a child. I hope they will come to their senses and let their little boy go!!!

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They're not going to have to.

Eventually that brain tumor will be so big it will cause herniation into the brain stem or it could cause a hemmorrhage into the brain tissue or the tumor itself.

No matter what, a vent and a feeding tube will not keep this kid alive as long as that tumor is growing.

This is very sad. I pray for the parents, no one should have to go through watching your child die.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Same situation occurred in Sarasota, Florida-10 or so years ago. A 12 year old came in with DKA, after being sick at home for several days. Family blamed the hospital and refused to have patient taken off life support. She went home on the vent and died several monthes later. The parents were still in denial.

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Specializes in Palliative, Geriatics.

i have a 6 year old son, and cannot even begin to imagine the situation those parents are in. i would declare myself temporarily insane if i ever lost my son.........:crying2: but you are right, at some point they have to let the poor soul go....

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:crying2: :crying2: I will go kiss my babies now....:crying2: :crying2:
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Those poor, poor parents. Who can blame them for trying something that they feel might be helpful? Maybe they're feel like they've done all they can and be more accepting when it finally happens. At least the child is home with them, and it sounds like HE'S out of pain, anyway.

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Those poor, poor parents. Who can blame them for trying something that they feel might be helpful? Maybe they're feel like they've done all they can and be more accepting when it finally happens. At least the child is home with them, and it sounds like HE'S out of pain, anyway.

That is one of the saddest things I can think of. It makes my heart ache. I can't blame the poor parents, either.:crying2: :crying2: :crying2:

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I thought doctors didn't have to keep providing care to a brain-dead person, as they are legally dead. Those parents are in severe denial. I feel for them but it kills me that our beleagured health care system spends this kind of money to keep the heart of a brain-dead person beating.

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Brain death laws are determined by individual states, but in both states I have worked in brain dead=dead and we could remove patients from life support with adequate brain death testing.

This story is terribly sad, but I assume that the poor little thing won't last long. It's been my experience that when a patient is truly brain dead, their body is soon to follow. A vent and a feeding tube won't keep adequate BP and HR for long, especially if, as Shotzie pointed out, the brain herniates.

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Specializes in Neurology, Neurosurgerical & Trauma ICU.

As a nurse who has seen TRUE brain death more times than I care to talk about....after TRUE brain death has occured, they will lose sympathetic tone soon (it can be immediate up to two weeks I think) and will die cardiac death too.

However, the term "brain-dead" gets used in times when it shouldn't be. Is this child truly brain dead? Did he meet all the criteria? If so then that's it! I've never heard that brain death doesn't work in all states. I find this a little hard to believe.

I understand they're parents....but why??? Brain dead=dead. Sign the death certificate. This actually makes me a little mad.....I find it almost abusive.

I'm going to go kiss my child now too.

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