Comatose Woman Was Last Examined by Doctor More Than 8 Months Prior to Giving Birth in Facility

Court records in the case of awoman in a long-term vegetative state who gave birthlast month in an Arizona nursing facility reveal that her last doctor’s examination took place more than eight months prior to the birth, PEOPLE confirms.

Those documents state that in affirming the need to continue guardianship for the woman, she “lacks sufficient understanding and mental capacity to make decisions or give consents for her medical, placement or financial estate.”

A report from April 2009 further states that an investigator at the time “interviewed” the woman at the long-term care facility where she has lived since 1992 and found her “severely developmentally disabled” and in need of “total care.” The report added: “She is unable to communicate and requires a maximum level of assistance with all activities of daily living.”

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According to the documents, the woman suffers from quadriplegia, recurrent pneumonia and a seizure disorder.

Even so, an annual guardian’s report filed with the court and dated April 30, 2018, says that the woman’s last court-ordered annual doctor’s examination took place on April 16, 2018.

“No changes,” says a handwritten note in response to a form question asking whether there have been “any major changes in the ward’s physical and/or mental condition in the last year.”

PEOPLE was unable to reach the doctor who performed the examination.

Police and Hacienda HealthCare both have confirmed thecollection of DNA from male staffersin an effort to find a link to the apparent assault of the woman, who is recovering with her child in an area hospital, say police.

Several factorscould have led to the woman’s condition being overlooked, says Dr. Mark Ashley, the CEO and founder of the California-basedCentre for Neuro Skillswho sits on the board of theBrain Injury Association of America, and is not involved in the current case.

The lower ranks of certified nursing assistants receive less-sophisticated training, smaller paychecks, and see typically higher turnover, he says. “If a staff member sees her in the first trimester, and a second staff member sees her in the second trimester … you can imagine they’re seeing her for a short time and not recognizing changes” in the patient, he says.

“The staff would have known if she was menstruating,” he adds. But in the case of brain injury patients, “the complication is that the menstrual cycle may not have been regular. A patient may have just a few periods within a year, or may menstruate regularly, or anything in between.” Thus, an interrupted cycle may not have stood out.

“You have all of these factors that, in the worst of all situations, could combine to a legitimate miss, if you will,” he says.

source: people.com