Since the year 2023Larissa Moraes de Carvalho, a 31-year-old medical student is in a vegetative state due to complications that arose during orthognathic surgery performed in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais.
Larissa’s family is waiting for a court decision that could allow him to access neuromodulation treatment through his health plan. In an interview with GLOBO, Ricardo Carvalho, Larissa’s father, expressed his desperation and hope of getting approval for treatment that could improve his daughter’s condition.
Sequelae after orthognathic surgery
During the surgical procedure, Larissa suffered a lack of oxygen to her brain, resulting in severe damage. Although the affected areas of the brain will not recover, neuromodulation treatment has the potential to help undamaged areas regain some function.
Ricardo stated: “We know the seriousness [del caso], but we want his recovery.” The family is doing everything possible to advance the treatment of Larissa, who is currently receiving care at home.
Release for neuromodulation treatment
The doctor who treated Larissa at the hospital recommended neuromodulation treatment, and in June, the family requested this procedure from their health plan. However, the request was denied.
Ricardo tried multiple times to contact the health plan, insisting on the need for treatment, but all requests were rejected. “We are still baffled by the event, a young woman, a medical student, at the Uerj, in Rio… I insisted on the plan, I asked the doctor to reiterate it and I even made a request by email, but he again denied the treatment ”he explained.
Family fights in court over treatment
After two denials from the health plan, the family decided to seek justice in September of last year. In January of this year, the judge in charge of the case also rejected the request to include the treatment in the health plan.
Currently, the case is in the hands of the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, awaiting a decision in the second instance. The annual cost of intensive treatment amounts to R$ 406,560.00 (equivalent to approximately 354,601,632 Colombian pesos).
The health plan contracted by the family, Saúde Servidor, of the Municipality of Juiz de Fora, argued that neuromodulation is not included in the list of covered procedures.
Larissa Moraes de Carvalho with her family.
Photo:Social networks
Recently, the Health Commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved the inclusion of neuromodulation in the list of procedures of the Unified Health System (SUS). The bill, promoted by Representative María Rosas (Republicans/SP), must still go through several committees before being voted on in the plenary session.
Ricardo commented: “This approval by the Court also demonstrates that the treatment has scientific proof. “It is a new treatment, but it is efficient and has a lot of scientific evidence.”
First outing after returning home
On his first outing since returning home, Larissa was taken by ambulance to undergo an electroencephalogram examination., which is crucial for mapping the evolution of your brain. Ricardo recounted how this procedure marked a small, but significant, step in the family’s long fight for Larissa’s recovery.
“It was the first outing after she came home, so we were tense because we didn’t know what it was going to be like. We were worried, but everything was organized with the nursing technician and everything went well. We also noticed that Larissa returned [a casa] very tense, we feel the tension. When we got home, we put her in bed so she could relax a little,” she said in an interview with Globo.
Since 2023, Larissa Moraes de Carvalho, a 31-year-old medical student, has been in a vegetative state.
Photo:OR GLOBE
Ricardo also said that during the examination, Larissa was very attentive to what the doctor was saying. “She doesn’t speak, we only have her look,” she added.
Carvalho also explained how the dynamic works at home with Larissa’s treatment. The young woman is cared for by a nursing team 24 hours a day in home care treatment; In addition, he performs two physical therapy sessions. Ricardo says that the bath is a moment of therapy for her and highlights that clinically Larissa is fine.
Remembering the case
The medical student entered the Holy House of Mercy in Juiz de Fora on March 16 of last year to undergo a procedure that would correct alterations in the jaws and jaws.
Larissa suffered cardiorespiratory arrest during the procedure. Although she was revived, She remained hospitalized in the health unit for more than a year without regaining consciousness.. Following cardiorespiratory arrest, Larissa spent a month in the ICU, where she contracted pneumonia and a urinary tract infection. She was then transferred to a room, where she remained until March of this year.
A year later, Larissa’s family obtained, through justice, access to home care, which is medical treatment and monitoring at home. After months of hospitalization, Larissa returned to her family’s home, where she had moved to live in Rio de Janeiro and pursue her second degree at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.
What is orthognathic surgery?
Orthognathic surgery corrects alterations in the maxillae and mandibles. In addition to aesthetic appeal, as it helps to harmonize the face, orthognathic surgery also improves quality of life, mainly by facilitating breathing and sleep. Furthermore, it varies depending on the dysfunction observed by the surgeon. Some of these dysfunctions are:
- Asymmetries: crooked jaws;
- Maxillary atresia: posterior crossbite or narrow jaw;
- Retrognathism: small jaw;
- Prognathism: large jaw and/or small maxilla;
- TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction.
The risks are the same associated with other surgeries, such as blood loss and infections. In general, this is considered a safe procedure.
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from O Globo, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
