Doctors: Dutch Prince Friso in coma, may never regain consciousness

[News_Editor]

Doctors: Dutch Prince Friso in coma, may never regain consciousness

2012-02-25 08:46:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

INNSBRUCK, Austria (BNO NEWS) -- Dutch Prince Johan Friso, who was injured in an avalanche in western Austria last week, is in a coma and may never regain consciousness, doctors said on Friday. He will soon be transferred to a rehabilitation facility.

Friso, 43, was skiing in the town of Lech on February 17 when he was hit by an avalanche and buried under the snow for about 25 minutes before he was rescued and resuscitated at the scene. Other members of the royal family, who often visit the town, were not involved in the accident.

The condition of the prince, who is the second son of Queen Beatrix but is not in line for the throne since marrying in 2004 without the government's permission, had remained unclear for a week until a press conference by Dr Wolfgang Koller on Friday.

"Prince Friso was brought to Innsbruck University Hospital by rescue helicopter at about 2 p.m. on February 17 after being buried by an avalanche in Lech," said Koller, who is head of the trauma unit at the hospital. "He was covered [by snow] for approximately 25 minutes. At the hospital, after receiving initial treatment in the reanimation unit, he was taken straight to the intensive care trauma unit."

The doctor said Friso's brain had been deprived of oxygen due to the length of time he was covered under the snow. "The result was cardiac arrest, which lasted approximately 50 minutes," Koller said. "The patient had to be reanimated during this entire period. Fifty minutes is a very long time. One could say, too long."

Koller said doctors initially hoped that Friso's mild hypothermic state had sufficiently protected his brain from excessive damage, but tests on Thursday showed this was not the case. "Unfortunately, our hope was in vain," he said. "Yesterday, a first MRI-scan was possible without bringing the patient into danger. Since this examination and the latest neurological tests yesterday evening it is clear that the oxygen deprivation has caused extensive damage to the patient's brain."

The doctor, who did not take questions about Friso's condition from journalists, said it remains unclear whether the prince will ever regain consciousness. "At present it is not certain whether he will ever regain consciousness. In any event, rehabilitation will take months, if not years. Prince Friso's family will now look for an appropriate rehabilitation facility," he said.

A brief statement from the Dutch government said the royal family asks for privacy from the media. "The family of His Royal Highness Prince Friso needs space to learn how to deal with the medical condition of Prince Friso," the statement said. "That is why the family requests the media to respect the needed privacy of the family."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-02-25

[RickBradford]

The Thai press used the phrase สมองตาย 'brain-dead', but perhaps that is slightly overstating it, given the information above.

A sad situation for all those involved.

Edited February 25, 2012 by RickBradford

[TomTao]

My neighbour is Dutch, I asked him about the prince and his condition, he said the doctors are keeping the prince in a medically induced coma and bringing him out slowly so they can monitor his condition, my neighbour said that the hope is for minimal damage.

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