Brain Fluid Drained Via Catheter, Gabrielle Giffords Needs Time Before Heading For Rehab
January 24th, 2011 - 8:01 pm ICT by GDBy Meena Kar
Jan 24, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center Hospital in Houston has been able to bring the critical situation of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords a bit under control. However, she is still in the ICU, where the doctors have planted a tube in her brain, in order to drain out excess cerebrospinal fluid.
Cerebrospinal fluid is a common problem that is seen in 15 to 20 percent of people who have been subjected to a brain surgery. However, if that is preceded by a brain injury, then that might slow down the drainage. On the other hand, the back up can lead to swelling of the brain. Dr. Reid C. Thompson, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s chairman of neurological surgery said that after the gun shot, the place in the brain where there is a lot of soft tissues, might lead to a leak of spinal fluid. This makes people vulnerable to meningitis and reduce the rate of healing. According to the sources if this problem of slow cerebrospinal fluid drainage prevails, then the temporary tube may needs to be replaced by a permanent one in her body, so that the fluid may be drained via her belly. The doctors at the Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center have still not decided whether to remove the temporary tube, so that she can head towards The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) for further treatment.
Dr. John Holcomb said that they do not expect her to go to rehab so soon, as they have to wait and see whether the brain fluid drainage problem is settled with the help of the temporary catheter. He also said that the fluid build up is not infected and therefore, the congress woman has become more alert and reactive than before. However, she still needs to be kept in the ICU for sometime before she is taken to the rehabilitation center.
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Tags: brain injury, brain surgery, c thompson, cerebrospinal fluid, critical situation, dr reid, drainage problem, fluid drainage, gabrielle giffords, john holcomb, medical center hospital, memorial hermann, permanent one, soft tissues, swelling of the brain, texas medical center, tirr, university medical center, vanderbilt university medical, vanderbilt university medical center