What a tragic story ..... Can you imagine being in a foreign country trying to make sense of these legal issues? Not to mention, being a parent not wanting to believe the worst? Very sad.

Order sought declaring teen brain dead

By Randy Ellis
Staff Writer

Attorneys for St. Anthony Hospital asked a judge Monday to declare Russian teenage patient David Kurbanov brain dead and to issue a do-not-resuscitate order.


Hospital officials said they would like to transfer Kurbanov to a long-term care center. They said the center will not accept him as a patient without an order declaring Kurbanov should not be given cardiopulmonary resuscitation if his heart should stop beating.

The patient's father, Sabit Kurbanov, refuses to authorize a do-not-resuscitate order, the hospital's lawsuit states.

Background
•Monday's lawsuit is the latest development in a medical nightmare that developed after Kurbanov, 16, was brought to Oklahoma City for complex surgery in October to remove a tumor from his brain stem.

•Kurbanov slipped into a coma several days after the surgery and has not recovered. A doctor declared him brain dead Nov. 27. Two other neurosurgeons reviewed his case and came to the same conclusion, hospital officials said.

•Sabit Kurbanov refuses to believe his son is dead and told The Oklahoman in March he expected his son to regain consciousness. The father could not be reached for comment Monday.

Hospital statement
•"St. Anthony has compassionately and respectfully supported the family during this very trying time to help them understand David's medical condition,” the hospital said in a prepared statement Monday.
•"The hospital believes that David Kurbanov is legally dead and that his condition is irreversible. The hospital believes it is the right thing to do, to not attempt to restart David's heart when it stops.”

What's next A hearing is set for July 12 before Oklahoma County District Judge Bryan Dixon.

The father is selfish for not allowing the healthy organs to be harvested.

How many otherwise viable people is he killing by doing this?

What an extrememly sad and unfortunate situation. It is very difficult to let anyone "go", especially a child.

I can imagine how difficult this could be for anyone. Sadly so for anyone in a foreign country. The decision would be very difficult to make, essentially, from a parent that had opted for a miracle to cure his beloved 16 year old son.

However, in bringing his son to America, then the father must abide by the decision of the courts.

I don't get why St Anthony's didn't have him sign a DNR prior to the surgery, when they knew that the surgery comes with a high probability of complications. Dr Francel performed the $100,000 at no cost to the family. The hospital should have taken the legal steps to protect themselves, Oklahoma as well as the US from situations, such as this, with foreigners.

For the heart-broken father to make the claim that his "son was used as guinea pig in U.S. hospital publicity stunt" is coming from deep within him to the part that, simply, fails to accept his son's terrible condition.

May God have mercy on the soul of David Kurbanov, and speak to the heart of his father. If the father truly believes in the God he speaks of and believes in miracles, then he needs to remove his son from life support and allow God to take the controls.