Autopsy Report: Schiavo Did Not Starve To Death

[Troubleshooter]

http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/...10240206152005

No Sign Of Neck Trauma Found

POSTED: 5:15 pm CDT June 14, 2005
UPDATED: 10:35 am CDT June 15, 2005

TAMPA, Fla. -- An autopsy concluded that Terri Schiavo did not suffer any trauma before her 1990 collapse.

A medical examiner sayid there was no evidence of strangulation or other trauma leading to the collapse of the woman who became the focus of a right-to-die dispute.

The autopsy also found that her brain was about half of normal size when she died.

Schiavo lapsed into a vegetative state 15 years earlier after her heart stopped beating for several minutes. Some experts testified during a trial that her condition was brought on by a severe chemical imbalance brought on by an eating disorder.

Her family has accused her husband of abusing her, which he denies. They also said she was minimally conscious and wanted to know if the autopsy report backs that.

Schiavo is the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who died March 31, nearly two weeks after the feeding tube that kept her alive was removed under court order. That ended a bitter legal battle between her husband and her parents, who wanted to keep her alive. He had argued she never wanted to be kept alive by a tube.

There was an intense national debate over removal of her feeding tube.

The medical examiner, Jon Thogmartin, said Wednesday that no trauma was noted on any of the numerous exams in the days after, weeks after or months after the collapse. No evidence of strangulation was found and her heart was normal. She died of "marked dehydration," she did not starve to death, Thogmartin said. He said she suffered no neglect or abuse. He also said she did not appear to have suffered a heart attack.

Thogmartin said it is possible that caffeine contributed to her collapse because she drank up to one gram of caffeine daily, which was because of the amount of tea she consumed. He said that an eating disorder may not have caused her collapse.

The examiner said that Schiavo got severe osteoporosis after her collapse. He said her bones became "palpably soft" after the collapse.

Thogmartin said her brain was "profoundly atrophied" -- and that the damage was "irreversable." He also said, "The vision centers of her brain were dead" -- meaning she was blind. He said no amount of therapy could have reversed her condition.

Bobby Schindler said the family still has not been told about plans for his sister's cremated remains.

Michael Schiavo has said he will bury them at his family's cemetery in Pennsylvania, but it is unknown whether that has occurred. Michael's brother, Brian Schiavo, said plans for the services are still pending.