Dr William Maxfield on Terri Schiavo

[bfp]

Dr. William Maxfield, a Tampa radiologist, agreed that Terri is not in a persistent vegetative state, noting her ability to follow commands and her responsiveness. After comparing Terri's 1996 CAT scan to her 2002 scan, Maxfield also testified that Terri's brain tissue appeared more localized and uniform.

"It tells me that the brain tissue on the [2002] study has a more normal appearance," Maxfield testified, adding that hyperbaric oxygen therapy, similar to Hammesfahr's recommendation, could lead to improvement.

"Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly because of a chemical imbalance." -- MSNBC

Terri was never diagnosed as a heart attack victim when she was admitted to the Northside Humana emergency room in February 1990. Doctors immediately excluded heart attack as her blood enzymes were not elevated - typical in all heart attack victims. Terri's toxicology screen also eliminated any suspicion of drugs. At the time of Terri's admittance, blood tests revealed a depletion of electrolytes and her attending physician hypothesized that low blood potassium may have caused her collapse.