Press release
From Mission Health
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 1, 2012) Mission Hospital confirmed today that Lily Kerr, a twenty-month old baby girl, was admitted to Mission Hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.
“Prior to arrival, Lily had sustained traumatic brain injury and appeared to be brain dead when she was admitted,” said Susan Mims, MD, Vice President and Medical Director of Mission Children’s Hospital. “Lily’s family wanted something good to come from this situation and had requested that Lily’s organs be donated to provide other children an opportunity for life. In order to obtain the organs, Mission Children’s Hospital physicians needed to determine brain death. There is a very specific and prescribed battery of tests that determines brain death for any child. When tested, Lily met all the criteria for brain death. However, after confirmation of brain death, the baby was observed to take a spontaneous breath. It is extremely unusual that any child would fail all prescribed brain death studies and subsequently take a spontaneous breath. However, after observing the spontaneous breath, life support was continued.”
The baby remains in critical condition. The family has requested privacy at this time.
About Mission Hospital
Mission Hospital, the flagship hospital of Mission Health, is a not-for-profit hospital that serves as the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care in western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission Hospital is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina and houses the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital the region’s only children’s hospital. Mission Hospital has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. In 2012 Thomson Reuters named Mission Hospital as a Top 100 Hospital for the fourth consecutive year, and Professional Research Consultants ranked Mission Hospital in the top 15% nationally in patient satisfaction. Mission Hospital is licensed for 730 beds and employs more than 6,500 people, including over 1,800 RNs. Mission Hospital is committed to serving its community and improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina.
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