Giffords' condition upgraded to serious

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: MSNBC

TUCSON, Ariz. — Doctors upgraded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from critical to serious condition because she is no longer on a ventilator, according to statement from the hospital Sunday afternoon.

The congresswoman is breathing on her own, the statement said, following an operation Saturday to replace her breathing tube with a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe. That allows her to breathe better and frees her from the ventilator.

Though Giffords had been breathing on her own since she was shot in the head Jan. 8, doctors had left the breathing tube in as a precaution. A feeding tube was also put in to provide nutrition. Those procedures are not out of the ordinary for brain-injured patients.

Giffords' doctors have said they should be able to evaluate her ability to speak once the breathing tube is out.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41104863/ns/health-womens_health/

[alp227]

1. uh oh seems that the head shot is rearing its ugly head

I heard earlier that a brain injury can get worse over the course of several days.

[sweetloukillbot]

2. no - upgraded - critical is worse than serious.

She's improving.

[alp227]

3. oh thanks for clarifying because i thought "upgraded" correlated with severity

[Warpy]

4. Yeah, they'll do a swallowing study first

to make sure her gag/cough reflexes are intact. If that's the case, they'll pop in a trach with an opening in the top (fenestrated trach) so that it can be plugged and they can evaluate her speech.

While it seems like going backwards when they go from a breathing tube to a hole in the neck, it's actually a step forward in severe head injuries.

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. That's wonderful news!

I am so happy for Representative Giffords and her husband, who barely leaves her bedside.

[ProudDad]

6. Gabby Giffords and I agree on almost nothing

and I fervently hope she recovers as completely as organically possible!

This is good news...


And those Nurses and Docs at UMC are incredible...I know quite a few of them...

(In spite of having to work for a typically awful corporation...)

[Blandocyte]

7. Go, Gabby, Go!

Looks like she's gonna make it and heal! Yay!