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Dutch Prince buried in avalanche

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Susan
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Dutch Prince buried in avalanche

Post by Susan » Sat February 18th, 2012, 3:38 am

Prince Friso, the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was buried in an avalanche while skiing in Austria. He was buried for about 20 minutes before being rescued. He is in stable, but critical condition. A Dutch friend says that there is talk that he is brain dead and has already died. Some kind of announcement from the Dutch monarchy about his condition will probably be made on Saturday morning.
BBC: Dutch Prince Johan Friso buried in Austria avalanche
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Sat February 18th, 2012, 3:50 am

Brain damage starts at four minutes without oxygen. It doesn't look good. Very sad.

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat February 18th, 2012, 12:37 pm

My Dutch friend says that Prince Friso's doctor has declared that he does not have a skull fracture and that his main problem is the lack of oxygen. The biggest question is whether and how much damage to the brain this may have caused.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

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Susan
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Post by Susan » Sat February 25th, 2012, 2:14 am

The doctors finally gave their prognosis today and it was not good. Press release from the Dutch Royal House website:

His Royal Highness Prince Friso, 24 February 2012 - 13.10

RVD, 24 February 2012: The head of the medical team attending His Royal Highness Prince Friso at Innsbruck university hospital has just issued a press statement giving further information on the Prince's condition and his outlook for the future. The statement was as follows (the written text may differ slightly from the spoken text):

Prince Friso was brought to Innsbruck university hospital by rescue helicopter at about 14:00 on 17 February, after being buried by an avalanche in Lech. He was covered for approximately 25 minutes. At the hospital, after receiving initial treatment in the reanimation unit, he was taken straight to the intensive care trauma unit. This unit specialises in treating the most seriously injured avalanche patients with the utmost medical and technical expertise. The unit's head is Dr Wolfgang Koller.

Our unit was notified of the patient's imminent arrival and we were able to prepare everything in advance. Prince Friso was brought to the hospital under reanimation conditions. Due to the length of time he was covered under the snow, his brain had been deprived of oxygen. The result was cardiac arrest, which lasted approximately 50 minutes. The patient had to be reanimated during this entire period. Fifty minutes is a very long time. One could say, too long. We hoped that the patient's mild hypothermic state had sufficiently protected the brain against excessive damage. Unfortunately, our hope was in vain. Since last Friday, a team of specialists has been fighting to save Prince Friso's life. Yesterday, a first MRI-scan was possible, without bringing the patient into danger. Since this examination and the latest neurological tests yesterday evening it is clear that the oxygen deprivation has caused extensive damage to the patient's brain. At present it is not certain whether he will ever regain consciousness. In any event, rehabilitation will take months, if not years. Prince Friso's family will now look for an appropriate rehabilitation facility.
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

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