Michael Schumacher in Critical Condition - now first recovery signs reported

Controlled environment. Dr's can control body temp while monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, etc. Outdoors you'll continue to get worse until it is controlled.

Lawyers

insurance companies

ski resorts

wealthy skiier

see the link (or in this case no link made)

Thanks.

You have to hope that the length of the coma at this point (18+ days) doesn't augur anything worse than just that they are trying to keep him stable. I didn't even start watching F1 until a few years ago, long past his peak, and it's still been devastating news in our household - motor racing is such a relatively small community, it really hits hard when tragedy strikes.

Sports Illustrated isn't exactly my go to source for racing news, but if their article is at all accurate, it doesn't look good for Shumi.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ra...r-injury-coma-may-be-permanent/#ixzz2qWudFLv5


If my memory serves, Chris da Matta was in an induced coma for only about 4-6 days before the docs brought him out. I know every patient and head injury is different, but if his doctors have been brining Michael back to semi conscious state and he is showing no response, that can't be a good sign.

*Not a doctor of any kind. **Haven't stayed a a Holiday Inn recently. ***Sure as hell hope I'm wrong.

+1

It's very difficult to think of Michael Schumacher either in a permanent coma or a permanent vegetative state. Either is the antithesis of who he is. I find it almost impossible to imagine.

Therapeutic hypothermia reduces the metabolic requirements of not just the brain but many of the body's organ's metabolic requirements to "tickover" pace. This reduces the amount of byproducts accumulating and stressing organs like the kidneys, liver and lungs. Kind of like hibernation, or suspended animation of sci-fi not so long ago. Fairly sure they will be waiting for the pressure inside his skull (intracranial pressure) due to swelling from his injury to reduce before any attempt to wean him from life support.

Hoping he makes a full recovery.

Just came across this and found it interesting.
I'm sure his doctors are exploring every option.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/18/health/fish-oil-recovery/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

I read the SI article - that's pretty vague and basically irresponsible reporting. It doesn't actually say anything. It's hard to really figure out what's going on from these scattered reports, but it's pretty easy to figure out he has a bad injury. Ending up in a persitive vegetative state is pretty rare, most people improve past that, or die. I think at this point there are two possibilities. Either he still has elevated intracranial pressure and they are keeping him down to control the pressure or his pressure isn't a problem anymore but he isn't waking up. The latter carries a worse prognosis and implies a brain stem level injury. I've kept people in an induced coma for over 2 weeks, so that in itself isn't that unusual, but it does imply a pretty bad injury. I think all we can say at this point is that if he survives he has a long road ahead.

I think it goes without saying that we all hope he makes a good recovery. He certainly was an interesting guy to watch race. His work in the rain was some of the best ever, and his his fake crash during Monaco qualifying was a baffling dick move (among many others).

I think it's the standard operating procedure for the French authorities when accidents occur, especially one as high profile as this.

You can tell that the doctors are refusing to do anything but depict worse-case scenarios

That's cause that statement is a win/win for doctors..
If he recovers, the doctors are great for snatching him from the jaws of death.
If it goes worst case, they say that they knew this would happen…

I don't think his doctors are saying much of anything. All the speculation and prognoses are coming form other "experts" who have no inside information and are just making noise in the news vacuum that his doctor's have created.

On that note I did read that they recovered his lucky charm bracelet yesterday at the accident scene. If he believed in its powers, then I hope it's reunited with him.

I think it's entirely possible, that even MS's doctors do not know, if he is gonna wake up or not.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/2014/01/20/08/15/teen-credits-fish-oil-with-coma-recovery

An interesting article on the possible outcomes:

http://jalopnik.com/what-may-be-going-on-with-michael-schumacher-and-what-h-1506618068

Not the most optimistic read .

I think it's impossible to guess the outcome. Many scenario's are possible.
Many have made miraculous comebacks, same could happen with Schumacher still. You never know which destiny is written for him. There is no point in speculating.

Obviously the family is keeping many of the updates for themselves. In a situation like this things can change very fast.

True. Still, it's past the time we were expecting for the first signs of a recovery. I'm now at the point where I check every day, hoping for a sliver of hope. My mind still can't grasp the idea of a permanently bed-ridden, brain damaged Michael Schumacher.

Yep, good read.

I watched my Dad die in August. He had a heart attack. They got his heart beating and he was breathing on his own. But 5 days later the doctors gave up. He wasn't coming back. Difficult to watch.

This is not the first time - "we" had Phillipe Zanol last year ( or the end of 2012) after his accident testing for Dakar 2013 , from memory he was in a coma for 6 weeks or so; he is still recovering after more than 12 months, so it could be a long road back for Schui, but hopefully one he can drive