Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is in critical condition on a ventilator after being shot through the back of the left side of her head in Tucson. We wish Giffords a successful recovery but at this point doctors are "cautiously optimistic" about her survival.
According to some medical experts, people do survive these types of brain injuries more often than you may think.
A report on CNN indicates:
About 2/3 of patients with a gunshot wound to the head don’t live long enough to make it to the hospital. Of the third that do make it, only 50% of those patients survive longer than 30 days. And of course, those numbers say nothing of long-term neurological function in the survivors.
The story below offers more detail about Giffords' condition.
Monday, January 10th, 2011
By Kester Freeman
Former CEO, Palmetto Health
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is in critical condition on a ventilator after being shot through the back of the left side of her head in Tucson. We wish Giffords a successful recovery but at this point doctors are "cautiously optimistic" about her survival.
According to some medical experts, people do survive these types of brain injuries more often than you may think.
A report on CNN indicates:
About 2/3 of patients with a gunshot wound to the head don’t live long enough to make it to the hospital. Of the third that do make it, only 50% of those patients survive longer than 30 days. And of course, those numbers say nothing of long-term neurological function in the survivors.The story below offers more detail about Giffords' condition.