Otto Warble, 22-year-old American College student sentenced in March 2016 in North Korea to 15 years of hard labor, was released from the punishment and returned home in a coma. The doctors who conducted the survey, Warble already in the United States say that the young man has extensive brain damage, but the cause of such condition not known to them. On the body of an American, no visible damage, so the most probable version of an event is preceded by a long cardiac arrest or oxygen deprivation (possibly serious asthma attack). Say about this doctors from the Medical center of the University of Cincinnati.
«His neurological status today can best be described as a state of unresponsive wakefulness,» — said at a press conference Dr. Daniel Kanter, member of the Center.
«Unresponsive wakefulness» is a term that emerged in the last decade, used to refer to the so-called permanent vegetative state when the patient has preserved reflexes, but they are not considered conscious.
«He shows no signs of understanding language, not responding to verbal commands and is not aware of his surroundings and condition,» said Kanter. «We can’t say today that he was conscious».
«MRI showed extensive loss of brain tissue in all brain regions,» explained Kanter. «While brain cells can regenerate to a small extent, extensive damage such as this can’t be restored.»
The doctor also said that Warble was in a coma for too long. According to data provided by the North Korean doctors, the American remains in a coma from April 2016.
The North Korean government said that Warble in a coma after suffering them botulism (type of food poisoning). The doctors gave the American a sleeping pill, and he never woke up.
American doctors can not judge about the reasons of occurrence of similar States, Warble, referring to the too limited data about the circumstances preceding his appearance.
How Otto Warmbier made it out of North Korea https://t.co/WhJt2HQpyl pic.twitter.com/LltHTM4suy
— TIME (@TIME) June 14, 2017
