Anne Heche in critical condition following fiery car crash, 5 August 2022

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If AH's condition has suddenly deteriorated in the last day, after being "stable", I really have the fear she will not survive tbh.

I have friends, a married couple, who were burned in an auto accident quite a while back. It was touch and go for the wife, due to infection. She was also stable, then suddenly grave, but was saved in the end.
Both are fine now, though obviously disfigured except miraculously not their faces, husband lost his hand. With both their entire torso and wife's leg are very scarred.
 
… she has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention.


A pulmonary contusion is caused by a very strong blunt force driving into the chest, causing disruption of the lung and pulmonary tissues (bruised lung).
~ JMO possibly from the steering wheel/dash/and or airbag on impact ?


Exactly. This is what I was talking about several pages back. This is the most common injury in a motor vehicle accident. I would assume it's more than a bruised lung. Commonly, it's something we call a pneumothorax aka collapsed lung.
 
"A rep for the Emmy winner, 53, said in a statement to PEOPLE that Heche is now in "critical condition" at the hospital."

And "“At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition."

Wasn't it reported earlier that she was "stable" and out of the ICU?


Here is a possible answer…
Over the weekend a representative stated that Anne was in stable condition but that information was inaccurate. She has always remained in critical condition, slipping into a coma following the accident," a spokesperson for Heche told CNN in a statement Monday. "
 
"A rep for the Emmy winner, 53, said in a statement to PEOPLE that Heche is now in "critical condition" at the hospital."

And "“At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition."

Wasn't it reported earlier that she was "stable" and out of the ICU?

So just for clarification purposes, stable isn't a condition. I know the media loves it and hospitals will tell them that's the condition, but it isn't. Stable means she isn't worse and she isn't better.

So if someone is in critical condition at 10 am and you call the hospital at 2 pm and their condition hasn't changed and they don't expect it will change, they'll tell you she's stable. It just means there hasn't been a change and they don't expect her to quickly decompensate (though she can decompensate over time).

If someone is barely hanging on to life, they are not stable as their status can change very rapidly.
 
Here is a possible answer…
Over the weekend a representative stated that Anne was in stable condition but that information was inaccurate. She has always remained in critical condition, slipping into a coma following the accident," a spokesperson for Heche told CNN in a statement Monday. "
I would consider her prognosis guarded: she may not survive this---
 
"A rep for the Emmy winner, 53, said in a statement to PEOPLE that Heche is now in "critical condition" at the hospital."

And "“At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition."

Wasn't it reported earlier that she was "stable" and out of the ICU?
Yes, but her condition may be in flux for months. MOO
 
The terms:

Undetermined -Patient awaiting physician and/or assessment.
Good- Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
Fair- Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
Serious- Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is seriously ill. Indicators are questionable.
Critical- Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.

Other terms used include grave, extremely critical, critical but stable, serious but stable, guarded,[3] and satisfactory.

 
The terms:

Undetermined -Patient awaiting physician and/or assessment.
Good- Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
Fair- Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious, but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
Serious- Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is seriously ill. Indicators are questionable.
Critical- Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.

Other terms used include grave, extremely critical, critical but stable, serious but stable, guarded,[3] and satisfactory.


The first part is universal. The second part is hospital dependent. My hospital never uses "extremely critical" (it's not an option) or "serious but stable".
 
Burn victims can quickly worsen, especially if their lungs and trachea are burned. And infection is a real possibility. Then they can go into sepsis and their organs can begin to shut down.

I am NOT speculating on Heche’s condition. Just stating why burn victims in general can rapidly worsen.
RBBM

I thought I had read 30 minutes, but when I went to look for a source to post here, I found this instead. The reason I'm posting this is I can only imagine how bad her lungs are if she not only was breathing SUPER hot air for this long, but also smoke and whatever chemicals were being burned as well (paint, carpeting, furniture, you name it). I can see where a patient would quickly worsen in the blink of an eye. I can only imagine how fluid this things are and they can change in a flash.

Fifty-nine firefighters responded to the incident and took 65 minutes to extinguish the flames and rescue an adult female from the vehicle, LAFD said.

 
RBBM

I thought I had read 30 minutes, but when I went to look for a source to post here, I found this instead. The reason I'm posting this is I can only imagine how bad her lungs are if she not only was breathing SUPER hot air for this long, but also smoke and whatever chemicals were being burned as well (paint, carpeting, furniture, you name it). I can see where a patient would quickly worsen in the blink of an eye. I can only imagine how fluid this things are and they can change in a flash.

Fifty-nine firefighters responded to the incident and took 65 minutes to extinguish the flames and rescue an adult female from the vehicle, LAFD said.


By the grace of God the woman in that house and her pets were in another part of her home when Heche's car blasted into it, or she and her pets would be dead.
 
I hope AH pulls through - her injuries are obviously horrific; I didn't realize how bad they were until some of today's news stories. I also read about her past trauma - that I was completely unaware of prior to this horrible crash. She has really been through a lot of horror in her life. Of course, that doesn't justify what happened by any means, but it does give some insight into her psyche. Sad.

Also wanted to mention that I am a huge movie fan & am definitely a fan of AH, the actress - mainly of her late '90's films. Some of my favorites include:

-The underrated re-make of Psycho (1998)
-Six Days, Seven Nights (1998) - solid romantic comedy/action film, co-starring Harrison Ford
-I Know What You did last Summer 1
(1997) - she had a small but important role in this horror flick
 
I feel so badly for her, and her family. Also the family who lost their home.

Burns are the most painful condition to have. <modsnip - off topic>

Part of recovery from extensive burns is dealing with the disfigurement. Anne Heche will have a lot of adjustment if she recovers.
 
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I have wondered about smoke inhalation injuries when seeing all the smoke from the news 'copters feed. IMO her lungs have suffered 'burn' injuries & that can be very serious. I know one poster is a verified doc so I post the question of how easily a pt w/ burn damage to the lungs can get pneumonia or other serious illness? IMO AH's injuries may be more internal than external. She was breathing in heavy smoke for quite a long time.
JMOO
 
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