CNN- Whittington "stable". Somehow I doubt he is sitting up and..

[TomInTib]

joking with the nurses.

Yesterday his condition was "good".

People in comas are usually listed as stable. Like Woodruff.

[patdem]

1. I thought he was EXTREMELY stable which is supposed to mean

stabler than stable...ALMOST CURED!

[CottonBear]

6. Extememly stable could mean extremely dead. dead is stable. n/t

[Xenotime]

13. You noticed the victim hasn't said anything.

What's he hiding....how much did he get paid?

[niyad]

14. my friend who had cancer, who died in july, was "stable" until a few hours

before she died of sepsis.

[CottonBear]

33. I'm so sorry about your friend. I hope Mr. Whittington will be OK. n/t

[Deep13]

2. That just means he is not getting any worse. nt

[txindy]

3. But he's been in the Trauma ICU for two days. Surely he's "very stable."

:eyes: I don't believe he's sitting up and joking with folks, either. This whole story stinks to high heaven.

[northzax]

12. no one in ICU is stable

that's fifteen grand a day worth of medical care, and they don't want you there any longer than need be.

By the way, I have been shot with birdshot, and I didn't even go to the ER, some anti-biotic ointment and tweezers worked just fine. Let alone the ICU.

[txindy]

16. I guess I should've added this

:sarcasm: Of course he's not stable, particularly as he's in Trauma ICU after being transferred there from a smaller hospital. Common sense says the "very stable" remark the WH is spinning is ludicrous.

[northzax]

19. no need, I got that part

just fleshing it out for you a bit...

[txindy]

24. Well, then, thank you

:toast: My head's still whirling from trying to make sense out of the nonsensical reports coming out of the WH (or not) about this very odd tale. I can use all the help I can get! ;)

[seabeyond]

27. always have to search for info with htese bastards. ALL is a lie

with them. so a an peppered with buckshot (happenes to all hunters) gets taken to one hospital then transfered to another hospital, surgery, in trauma icu and working on second day in hospital......

ya, all is fine

[onenote]

23. that's simply not so

First of all, the term "stable condition" (or variants of that term) are creations intended for the media, they are not medical descriptions. As a result, the term stable could mean different things to different hospitals and/or doctors. To the extent that there is anything approaching a common meaning, its that there "are no major active medical issues and the patient's basic vital functions are not fluctuating or in need of support."

The American Hospital Assn recommends against the use of the term "stable" but lots of hospital use it anyway. Sometimes you'll see the description "critical but stable" or "serious but stable" which is somewhat oxymoronic, since the AHA definition of "critical" and "Serious" condition both suggest that it be used for a patient whose vital signs are unstable. WHen you see one of these oxymoronic conditions it just means that the patient is critical, but maybe not that critical...its all subjective.

Finally,patients frequently are described by hospitals and/or the media as being in "intensive care" but "stable".

onenote

[northzax]

34. I agree with your definition

but doesn't being in ICU imply that the patient's vital functions ARE in need of support?

[malaise]

4. Yesterday he was 'fine'

that's better than good. Today he's very stable and not leaving the hospital. :rofl: :rofl:

[Bluebear]

5. Reports suggest he is now tap dancing and ready to resume snowboarding. nt

[HereSince1628]

7. Armstrong said "it knocked him silly"

I have no medical training.

But, I can imagine that getting hit in the face and chest with a shot gun blast could send a huge shockwave across your skull. "Knocking him silly" as the witness said.

I can also imagine being awake and still having a concussion growing. And I can in that case imagine a trip to the ICU and I can imagine going from good to stable.

[Beetwasher]

It Wouldn't Surprise Me If He's In A Coma and It's Being Covered Up

n/t

[bullimiami]

9. what heppened to 'he should be going home monday'?

[CottonBear]

8. Hunter and ER doctor possible explanantions from Firedoglake blog:

...snip...

And finally, this from reader Uranius Pelican, which is dead on (no pun intended).
At 30 yards, an open choke pattern would spread to have enough distance between pellets (at least 10 inches or a foot with a 28 guage) that it could not do the kind of damage that this guy apparently suffered.

Also 7 or 8 shot is tiny and therefore has less mass and carries less energy at the same veleocity. That means it won't penetrate very far especially at 30 yards after it has been slowed greatly by the air resistance.

Most importantly, bird hunting accidents are almost always caused by one thing. People walking around with their gun off safety - ready to shoot in case a bird flushes. Shotguns are designed so that the safety is accessible to your thumb while your trigger finger is poised on the trigger.

Before I ever enter a field with someone I've never hunted with I stop and say OK, here's the deal, "I will not hunt with anyone here who does not agree to keep their gun on safe at all times until the moment just before they pull the trigger. If you don't want to do that tell me now and I'll go hunt somewhere else."

The story they are telling doesn't make sense to me. My guess is that Cheney's open choke 28 guage gun was being carried off safety and that he dropped it or stumbled and it went off accidentally hitting his partner at about 15 yards range or less. Of course, the story that the victim approached from behind unnannounced and therefore was at fault sounds good to someone who has never hunted quail - but it's a crock.

And finally, only a drunk, an asshole or a drunk asshole would ever shoot their partner or their dog.
************************************************************************
And then there is this bit from one of the medical folks in the audience, reader LittleBit:

Speaking as a 20-year veteran of The-Big-ICU-In-Knife-And-Gun-Club-Territory, there is no way in hell that the victim is relatively uninjured.

Shotgun injuries are some of the worst cases I have taken care of, due to the spread-shot nature of the wounds. If the victim got "peppered" in the neck, there are waaaayyyy too many important structures in that small space (oh, like maybe one of the internal or external carotid arteries) for this to be a "no big deal" situation. If any of the pellets nicks a blood vessel, it may travel as far as it can go--I took care of a kid shot in the chest and some pellets eneded up in his ankle, blocking the bloodflow, leading to an amputation. In this situation, add to that the victim's age and potential underlying medical problems--this is huge.

These days, God Almighty doesn't get to stay in the ICU unless it is absolutely imperative that He do so.

This stinks worse than a gangrenous leg....
Don't know about you guys, but that's an awful lot of questions that need to be asked by the press corps, isn't it? More to come.

more...
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_02_12_firedoglake_archive.html#113984118736473358

[onenote]

11. I disagree with one part of that statement

The statement in the OP says that "bird hunting accidents are almost always caused by one thing. People walking around with their gun off safety". In fact, most bird hunting accidents are the result of shooters swinging around to follow game in flight and shooting beyond the safe zone of fire - which is what Cheney allegedly did.


Here's a link: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20050314c

onenote

edited to add link

[TomInTib]

15. I agree. Having been around way too many incidents like this...

It is usually a foolish, amateurish mistake. Alcohol is usually involved.

Safety "off" will usually end up in sorrow and pain for the holder of the firearm.

I barely missed my femoral artery thanks to a holstered pistol in a monumental act of stupidity amplified by drug use.

[HereSince1628]

17. That's the story I get when I watched my ex do hunter-safety courses

The message is know what is front of you and shoot in _front_ of you.

[CottonBear]

21. It sounds like bird hunting can be dangerous and not just for the birds.

I watched the guys on the Orange County Choppers TV show shoot quail the other day on a recent show. I was sure one of them was going to shoot one of the others. The were not in a line side by side and they were not shooting very high.
:(

[napi21]

10. I thought that same thing. Sharon is "stable"!

I don't like the idea that this guy is still in intensive care! I don't care who you are, hospitals don't do that! They move you to a private room, special care maybe, but they don't keep the patient in intensive care!!!!

[Tulum_Moon]

18. I think he will die

Just a feeling. Things just seem strange. I don't think anyone shot him on purpose, I do believe it was accidental. But I think he is worse than they are letting on. Sad for his family.

[napi21]

22. Mmmmm, I don't know if he's THAT bad.

I do think he's worse than they're letting on too. I also agree that it was an accident. A VERY careless and stupid one, but an accident none the less.

I'm a bit surprised the reporters aren't camped outside the hospital and demanding updates. Maybe they are, and we just aren't hearing anything about it.

[caledesi]

20. If he is so fine, where are the pix? nt

[NightOwwl]

25. Shot in the face, neck and chest....

at the very minimum, he will have extensive scarring. I hope he sues the pants off Cheney.

[kskiska]

30. "Looks like he has chicken pox"

one account said.

[npincus]

26. I hear he's a HOLE new man.... full of holes, that is.

[goodboy]

28. They make it seem like he's in for a spa-treatment, shotgun facial! (nt)

[meisje]

29. He's so stable, he has stopped moving!!

[electron_blue]

31. I think it's suspicious that the official spokeswoman for this

said right away "it's not like he was shot in the eye or anything". Nobdy had even asked. Now I am thinking he *was* shot in the eye.

[SPKrazy]

32. Why Rush Him By Helo To A Level 1 Trauma and ICU?

if he wasn't hurt more than "looks like chickenpox"?

If he wasn't hurt badly he would have been treated and released.

The Bushies are covering up this man's condition and we will never know the truth, mark my words.